Hardin Valley Academy senior Jake Sheffield captured the 2025 5Star Preps Masters boys individual title Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at Three Ridges Golf Course in Knoxville, Tenn. (Photo by Tanner Walker / 5Star Preps)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
For the better part of five hours Wednesday afternoon, Hardin Valley Academy senior Jake Sheffield tried to maintain his competitive mind state.
And that wasn’t even during his round.
Those five hours proved to be the time from when his final round ended at the 5Star Preps Masters at Three Ridges Golf Course until the time he teed off in a playoff against first-round leader Leo Huddleston of Maryville to determine the boys’ individual championship.
Inclement weather in northeast Knoxville on Wednesday held the two on the runway for quite some time.
Once the playoff commenced, Sheffield struck an 7-iron on the par-3 16th to 15 feet, and sank the putt for the win.
Staying locked in mentally throughout the weather delays was hard, Sheffield said.
“When I found out we were playing again, I went straight to the bathroom and washed my face off. You know, washed my hands. All that,” he said. “I just tried to get into that mind set of, ‘I’m going to go get this thing done. I’m going to go win it.'”
Huddleston, the defending champion, looked to make 5Star Preps Masters history Wednesday, seeking to become the first-ever repeat champion.
He shot 6-under 66 Tuesday and led HVA’s Conner Williams by two and Sheffield by four.
Williams wound up third Wednesday, firing a 70 to post a 6-under 138 mark.
Sheffield, though, fired a final-round 67 that featured birdies on three of his final five holes — including Nos. 17 and 18 — to catch up with Huddleston at 7-under 137. Sheffield’s chip-in for birdie at the 14th hole kick-started his charge.
After reworking his frame in the offseason by dropping 35 pounds and gaining muscle, Sheffield feels like his work is paying off.
“I wanted to make some big moves this year,” Sheffield said.
“I wanted to make my body more like an athlete. I wanted to give myself the best possible chance to succeed and do the best.”
Isabella Coughlin, a senior at Christian Academy of Knoxville (CAK), won the 2025 5Star Preps Masters girls individual title Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at Three Ridges Golf Course in Knoxville, Tenn. (Photo by Tanner Walker / 5Star Preps)
In girls’ golf, it seems safe to say: Isabella Coughlin didn’t like the way her first round ended Tuesday at the 5Star Preps Masters.
No worries, though.
The Christian Academy of Knoxville golf standout more than corrected her play on Wednesday during the final round.
The Lady Warriors senior — after going 2 over on the final five holes Tuesday — went 2 under on Wednesday in the same span of holes at Three Ridges en route to a final-round, 3-under-par 69.
“Yesterday, (hole) 17, I bogeyed, just because of a bad wedge. I didn’t have a great finish. Was just, kind of, getting by,” Coughlin said. “And then today, I had a better mindset and was just trying to see how low I could go, especially with these yardages. I wanted to see what I could shoot from them.”
Her two-day total of 3-under 141 clipped Catholic’s Teagan Walker, who co-led with Coughing after Round One, by six shots. Walker fired a 75 on Wednesday.
Coughlin was the only girls participant who finished under par, yet another accolade that fell completely in line with her trend of solid play this summer.
“Being a senior, it means a lot to finally win the 5Star Preps,” said Coughlin, who tied for fourth at the Tennessee Junior PGA and third at the TGA Girls Junior this summer.
“It felt great great to string along two good scores.”
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TEAM COMPETITIONS
The Hardin Valley Academy Hawks captured the 2025 5Star Preps Masters boys team title Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at Three Ridges Golf Course in Knoxville, Tenn. (Photo by Tanner Walker / 5Star Preps)
The boys golf team at Hardin Valley Academy fended off a hard-charging squad from First Baptist Academy on Wednesday to win its first-ever 5Star Preps Masters boys championship.
Entering the final round with a four-shot lead over second-place FBA, the Hawks shot 9-under 279 as a team in the final round, matching the 279 that FBA posted Wednesday to stay atop the leaderboard.
Sheffield’s 67 Wednesday led the charge for HVA, but sophomore Hunter Mousa’s 69, senior Conner Williams’ 70 and sophomore Arjun Patel’s 73 came up big, too.
The HVA Hawks went a collective 7 under on the last six holes Wednesday — with no bogeys.
Defending-champion FBA, down the final six holes Wednesday, made six birdies and an eagle — but also had a double bogey and two bogeys.
Jesse Clowers and Alex Green starred in the final round for FBA with matching 68s, and Max Green (71) and Brady Morris (72) rounded out their 279 total.
HVA’s two-day mark wound up being 4-under 572. FBA was at 576. Maryville claimed third at 22-over 598, CAK fourth at 599 and Farragut fifth at 600 in the 15-team field.
“I’m so stoked for this team,” Sheffield said. “We only won by four shots, and I’m pretty sure our team shot 9 under today. But it feels really good, because last year, we were a really good team, but we never put up the results.
“I think that they’re going to start coming this year. We’ve played two tournaments so far and won them both. So I really like where we’re heading.”
The Christian Academy of Knoxville (CAK) Lady Warriors captured the 2025 5Star Preps Masters girls team title Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at Three Ridges Golf Course in Knoxville, Tenn. (Photo by Tanner Walker / 5Star Preps)
The Christian Academy of Knoxville girls golf team rode the 3-under-par round of Coughlin to the team championship, with Greeneville claiming runner-up and Catholic third.
Coughlin and Grady Thomas (72) helped the Lady Warriors post a final-round 141 mark Wednesday. CAK trailed by three after the first round but posted a winning score of 294. Greeneville finished at 297. Catholic was third (315).
The Lady Warriors’ win Wednesday marked their first 5Star Preps Masters championship in the event’s eight-year run.
CAK is the defending Division II-A state champion.
5STAR PHOTOS // FINAL ROUND (2025) — 5STAR PREPS MASTERS, presented by Brad Rose Golf Instruction