On a course he once loathed, Brady Smith repeated as a state champion.

The Christian Academy senior cruised to victory Saturday in the Leachman Buick-GMC-Cadillac KHSAA Championships at Bowling Green Country Club.

Smith was not a fan of the Bowling Green course early in his career.

“I didn’t want to play it anymore,” he said. “As you grow older, you realize how great the greens are and how awesome the course really is. It really started to grow on me.”

Smith finished with a two-day total of 8-under-par 136 and won by 7 shots over Oldham County’s Tyler Wirth and Madison Central’s Warren Thomis.

Smith became the third consecutive CAL golfer to win the state title, as Matthew Troutman won the crown in 2021. Smith became the first repeat state champion since Marshall County’s Jay Nimmo in 2019-20.

Smith, a University of Louisville commit, said he’ll take two months off from the sport before returning to action.

“It’s nice,” he said. “I’m glad I finished my season on a high note.”

Madison Central repeated as the team champion with a two-round score of 603. South Oldham was second at 615, and St. Xavier finished third at 625.

Madison Central became the first repeat team champion since Taylor County in 2018-19.

Reach Jason Frakes at jfrakes@courier-journal.com and follow him on X @kyhighs.

KHSAA boys golf state championships

At Bowling Green Country Club, par-72

Team scores — 1. Madison Central 603; 2. South Oldham 615; 3. St. Xavier 625; 4. Greenwood 639; 5. Marshall County 646; 6. George Rogers Clark 647; 7. Ryle 648; 8. Rockcastle County 651; 9. McCracken County 659

Top individuals — 136 – Brady Smith, Christian Academy; 143 – Tyler Wirth, Oldham County; Warren Thomis, Madison Central; 145 – Jacob Lang, Greenwood; Ben Davenport, Bowling Green; 148 – Griffin Barke, South Oldham; 149 – Cam Roberts, Pikeville; Braydon Bond, Madison Central; Levi Keith, LaRue County; Jacob Settles, George Rogers Clark; 150 – Colton Woosley, South Oldham; Barton Rutledge, Allen County-Scottsville; 151 – Landon Hunt, McCracken County; Seth Shelley, Spencer County; 152 – Ryan Stokes, Marshall County

More high school golf: Sacred Heart gets first KHSAA team title since 2017, earns record 12th state crown

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA golf state tournament 2023: CAL's Brady Smith repeats as champ