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Girls golf takes fifth place Friday at Tigerette Classic
by Gregory R. Norfleet · Sports · May 11, 2017
West Branch took fifth place Friday at the 18-hole Tigerette Classic at Tipton Country Club.
The girls golf team shot 446 for a middle-of-the-pack finish among nine teams.
Team scores: 1. Tipton 399, 2. Wilton 413, 3. Camanche 427, 4. Solon 429, 5. West Branch 446, 6. Williamsburg 467, 7. Durant 469, 8. Regina 480, 9. North Cedar 518.
Syndey Lamont led the Bears with 53-53 106. Other individual scores: Aleah Rocha 57-54 111; Drew Perkins 55-58 113, Ashley Riley 58-58 116, 5. McKenna Walsh 62-55 117, Claire Bridges 60-63 123.
Head Coach Jan O’Neil said she was happy to see the team finish in the top five.
“They all felt there were places they could have improved though and we’ll continue to work on recovery shots before the next tournament,” she said.
One of the most challenging holes that day was the first, a par 5 on which nearly 90 percent of the golfers in the tournament shot a double bogey or higher.
“Hole (No. 1) can be tough for the girls because many tend to hit to the right and they run into trouble with out of bounds and trees/long rough,” the coach said.
Making better decisions plays a key role to keeping scores low, she said, like hitting back into the fairway even though it may mean sacrificing yardage.
“There is also a creek that runs in front of the green which can cause trouble for the second shot if one doesn’t lay up,” she said.
The Bears set a goal for trimming strokes from the overall team score, she said.
“The girls got a flavor of shooting another personal team best tonight, which was around our goal of taking another 10 shots off our average,” the coach said. “They know they can do it. We’ve got several in the mix who have all been helping out during the season. If we can all play at our capabilities then we’ll be in the competition for post season. It’s an exciting time.”
Also the junior varsity team played a rare meet with no varsity on the course on May 2. The team traveled to Durant and bested two home and two visiting teams with 229.
Team scores: 1. West Branch 229, 2. Durant 240, 3. Wilton 256, 4. Mid-Prairie 257, 5. Calamus Wheatland 282
Coach O’Neil said she was “so proud” of the JV squad winning, a feat made more impressive by beating the host by 11 strokes on its own course.
“We are fortunate to have some great depth,” she said. “Many of the other coaches in the area have commented on what a great problem it is to have so many girls that are averaging so close to one another.
“I’m excited for what they will bring to the table next year.”
Blue Top
The Bears finished fourth at Blue Top golf course in Highland against three River Valley Conference opponents.
Team scores: 1. Durant 205, 2. Wilton 205, 3. Mid-Prairie 216, 4. West Branch 217.
Individual scores: Claire Bridges 51, Aleah Rocha 54, Sydney Lamont 54, Ashley Riley 58, Abbey Fryauf 62, Drew Perkins 59.
Pleasant Valley
West Branch defeated host Regina May 8 at Pleasant Valley in Iowa City.
The Bears shot 206 to Regina’s 213. West Branch’s Sydney Lamont earned medalist honors with Regina’s Ellie Van Landschoot with each shooting 49.
Aleach Rocha and Ashley Riley earned runner-up medalist honors with 50.
Abbey Fryauf shot 57 to contribute to the varsity score. Claire Bridges shot 60 and Drew Perkins shot 63 to round out the top six.
The junior varsity also won that day, beating Regina’s JV 216-295.
West Branch’s Maddi Luneckas earned medalist honors with 48 and teammate Amanda Budreau earned runner-up medalist honors with 52.
Annika Olson shot 56 and McKenna Walsh shot 60 to contribute to the score.
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