County golfers open their season on the links

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

BRAZIL -- The Greencastle boys' golf team competed at the Northview Invite Saturday.

Brad Haussin and Eric Embry carded a pair of 78s, while Tyler Hopkins scored 81 and Raymond Stinson an 88. Jimmy Wheeler led the team with a 76, but was disqualified due to a scorecard signing error.

For head coach Donovan Wheeler, the disqualification was frustration, but he was overall pleased with his team's performance.

"Despite the DQ, I was very pleased with Jim's effort, especially his finish," Wheeler said. "He was giving away shots on the back nine, then he buckled down and make back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17. That's what we need from him are those strong finishes. That's where we will succeed as the season progresses.

"This disqualification was maddening because this could have been avoided," he continued. "It was a silly mistake, and it's frustrating to see a whole day's work flushed down the tubes because of a clerical error. But that's golf, it's a mine-field -- a very emotional mine-field."

Wheeler commented that Haussin was disappointed with his score of 78, but was pleased that he gave the team a competitive score on a day when he struggled with his putting.

He was also happy with the performances he got from Embry and Hoplkins as well.

"Eric and Tyler came through big for us," he said. "Eric's even-par 36 on the back was especially fun to watch. He was running in 8 and 10-footers all day, and with each excited fist-pump I could see his confidence grow. Tyler's 39 on the front was a huge boost for us. This is the level of golf he's capable of playing all the time. I think he's learning how to manage his round mentally more on a shot-by-shot basis rather than letting one bad shot dictate his mood as he did when he was younger."

Wheeler again addressed the issue of the disqualification and how he hopes the procedure at Northview will change.

"This happened to us at our invitational in 2005, and the next year I set up a scoring table on the 18th green and put an adult in charge of score-card signing," Wheeler said. "Since then we've had zero DQs. The lesson I learned the hard way is that we have to remember that this is as much of a learning experience for these kids as it is a competitive one. I'm optimistic that Northview will make moves to change procedure and avoid this sort of thing in the future."

Cloverdale

CLOVERDALE -- The Cloverdale boys' golf team kicked off their season with a win over West Vigo Monday 171-201.

Chris Arnold led the way for the Clovers with 32, while Alex Evens and Sam Jordan chipped in scores of 45. Colte Tomlinson carded a 49, with Ryan Book adding a 53 and Mike Matthews a 56.

"Chris had a fantastic round," CHS head coach Doug Wokoun said. "He was around the hole all round and narrowly missed a couple of other putts. He was second at the turn in the Northview Invitational and let things get away on the back nine. He wanted to get back on track and did so in great form.

"Sam and Alex both had to fight through some difficulties and could have allowed some bad fortune to really destroy their rounds," he added.

"They were able to fight through and post decent scores. Colte did pretty well for his first varsity match and shows some promise. Ryan is fighting some back problems and battled well. Mike just needs to trust his swing. We have good mental attitudes and will improve as we get more work.

"For an opening match we have a lot to be encouraged about," Wokoun continued. "We recognize that there is quite a bit of work to do, but we have something to build on now. We have been blessed with great weather and a course in excellent shape for this time of year. We just need to dedicate ourselves to getting better and eliminating mistakes that we can control."

South Putnam

BRAZIL -- South Putnam's boys' golf team defeated Danville Tuesday to open the season with a win.

Sam Gould led the team with a 41, while Alex Eickhoff, Dean Varvel and Mikey Nichols all carded 44.