Dublin Jerome Golf Programs Dominate State Competition

At Firestone Country Club in Akron, Dublin Jerome swept the 2025 Ohio Division I state golf championships, with the girls winning on the Fazio Course and the boys on the North Course. The twin titles put Jerome at the center of Ohio high school golf, pairing a girls' championship with a record-setting finish by one of the state's most decorated boys programs.

The girls carded rounds of 315 and 309 for a 624 total, finishing 12 strokes ahead of runner-up Magnificat. The boys followed with a two-day score of 578, two strokes better than St. Charles, to secure the program's 10th state championship. Their total set a Division I state-championship scoring record, beating the previous mark by 17 shots. Junior Brady Barnum earned individual medalist honors at 7-under-par 137.

The 2025 title extended a dynasty rather than beginning one. The boys also won state championships in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, and 2019. The 2026 boys and girls tournaments are scheduled for Oct. 11-12 at NCR Country Club in Kettering.

The girls program, meanwhile, is building its own collection of standout players. Junior Nikitha Suresh, who played a pivotal role in Jerome's fall 2025 state title, won the 50th Ohio Junior Girls Championship in June 2026 at Marion Country Club, shooting 74-68-73 for a 1-under 215.

The championships draw attention not just to Jerome's talent but to the structure supporting a nationally ranked public-school program: experienced coaching, a dedicated home course, and specialized practice facilities.

Boys head coach Brad Sparling has coached at Duke University and Ohio State University, was involved in two NCAA championship victories at Duke, and as of 2025 had coached 19 individual high school state champions. In his second season at Jerome, Sparling led the boys to their first state title since 2019. Assistant coaches Chris Carlisle and Jason Radtke round out the boys staff. The girls program is led by head coach CD Butcher, with assistants Chris McDonald and Lindsay Mayo.

Jerome uses Tartan Fields Golf Club in Dublin as its home course, with access to a driving range, pitching and chipping area, and putting green. The club, at 8070 Tartan Fields Drive, is an Arnold Palmer Signature private course.

Those resources provide important context for how Jerome's opportunities compare with those available elsewhere in Dublin City Schools, which operates Dublin Coffman High School, Dublin Jerome High School, and Dublin Scioto High School, all competing in the Ohio Capital Conference and the OHSAA.

Coffman's boys reached the 2025 Division I district tournament after advancing from the Darby Creek sectional but did not qualify for state. Jerome, St. Charles, and New Albany advanced to the boys state tournament from the Apple Valley district tournament. On the girls side, Jerome and Olentangy advanced from the Echo Springs district tournament.

Coffman has its own golf infrastructure. Scott Sutherland coaches the boys team, and Kim Grisvard leads the girls program. Coffman hosted an 18-team invitational at the Country Club of Muirfield in August 2025. At the youth level, Dublin Youth Athletics — a joint effort of parent volunteers, the City of Dublin, and Dublin City Schools — includes golf among its offerings.

Dublin City Schools has not published information detailing whether access to private courses such as Tartan Fields extends to all district teams, how coaching stipends and credential requirements compare across its three high schools, or what families pay out of pocket for equipment, private lessons, club memberships, and travel.

The gap in outcomes between Jerome and Coffman — state championships and national rankings versus district-level competition — suggests those unanswered questions matter. For Dublin families evaluating their children's athletic opportunities, Jerome's success offers plenty to celebrate. It also leaves a broader question for the district: whether its model for building championship programs creates pathways to excellence for any motivated student or concentrates advantages among certain schools, sports, and families with the means to supplement public resources.