East High Golf - Friday, May 5, 2023

Following a one-day postponement, the Winfield Invitational was held on Friday, May 5.  The event was originally scheduled to be played at Quail Ridge Golf Course, but instead was moved to the Winfield Country Club.  When we turned onto the drive leading to the course, we were greeted by a sign that said “Winfield Country Club – Est. 1917”.  I had never before seen the course, but based on my limited intel, I assumed we were dealing with an old-fashioned and short golf course, one that would not be able to withstand the fury that modern golf technology could potentially unleash upon it.  I’m sure there have been instances when I was more wrong, but I just can’t remember when.

As has been the case all season, the Blue Aces were led by Talen Nasone.  Unfortunately for Talen, his play was not up to his usual high standards.  He struggled to adapt to the greens, and never was able to develop a good feel for the golf course.  He shot his worst score of the year, and it was the first time all season he failed to shoot a score in the 70s, carding an eight-over par 80.  It was an extremely difficult day for Talen.

And he finished tied for third.

And THAT is how difficult the golf course was.  All of our golfers struggled, and it was mainly because the golf course was different, and difficult.  REALLY difficult.  In fact, the winning score of 75 (three-over par) was shot by the same Derby golfer who earlier this season shot a nine-under 63 at Rolling Hills Country Club!  Talen was the only freshman in the top 16, and in fact, there were only two sophomores in the top 16.  So, when compared to the rest of the field, Talen had a very solid day.

As for the rest of our team, well…no one was very happy at the end of the tournament.  I won’t mention who, but I saw two things from our golfers I hadn’t yet seen this season: one tossed a club after a poor shot (you’re really not supposed to do that); another, after holing out to complete his round, chucked his golf ball as far as he could into the trees (probably not supposed to do that either).  The next best score for East was shot by Henry White, who finished 45th with a 103.  After Henry came Owen Knipp, who shot 105 and finished 47th.  Hagen Shane shot a 109 to finish 52nd; despite his score, Hagen was much more positive during his round, and for that, I was extremely proud of him.  Donovan Bergen followed up his career-best round from Monday by shooting his worst round of the season: a 113 for 54th place (that’s golf for ya’).  And finally, Arri Reilly played in his first varsity tournament as a last-minute substitute.  He had been shooting progressively better scores in his JV tournaments, but soon learned that varsity golf is different.  He learned a lot of other things too, on his way to shooting a 138.  For complete tournament results, click here.

With the frustration of the day fresh on our minds, we piled into the van, and, before heading back to Wichita, made a stop at Sonic.  It didn’t take long for the popcorn chicken and burgers and onion rings and tater tots and shakes to begin soothing the pain from the day.  Which is just how it should be.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

East High Golf - Monday, April 8, 2024

Image
Junior Anderson Tung putts on 18 at Auburn Hills. Anderson shot a 12-over 84. After five weeks of practice, the East High boys varsity golf team finally got their season underway on a spectacular, made-for-golf Monday, as they competed in the Bishop Carroll Invitational at Auburn Hills Golf Course.   This tournament had traditionally been played at Rolling Hills Country Club, possibly my favorite course in the Wichita area.  So you can imagine my disappointment when last week I realized it would be at Auburn Hills, the most difficult public course in the city.  As the tournament teed off, and the effects of the solar eclipse began to subside, the question was: would Auburn Hills  prove too challenging for the first tournament of the season? Unfortunately,  for most of our golfers, the answer was yes. Our entire team has high expectations for this season, as we return our entire lineup.  This includes two state-qualifiers from last season, and seven other players with at least some vars
Read more

East High Golf - Wednesday, September 27

Image
Jillian Hutchinson hits her tee shot at the 14th hole at Sim Park. For the second time in three days, the East High girls golf team competed in an 18-hole varsity tournament, this time at the North High Invitational at Sim Park Golf Course.  I knew going into the tournament that our girls had been improving, but in my three years as coach, I have never seen our girls collectively hit the ball so well.  It was awesome! Even going back to last year, Jillian Hutchinson had been so close to breaking 100.  At this same tournament a year ago, she shot an even 100, but in my time as coach, that is as close as she has gotten.  But on Wednesday, she hit the ball as well as I've ever seen her hit it, especially off the tee.  Her first few holes were a bit shaky, but she improved as the day went on (which is always what I want to see), and on her back nine shot a 45, the best nine-hole score an East High golfer has posted in three years.  She ended up with a 96, and tied with five other girls
Read more

East High Golf - Thursday, September 7/Monday, September 11, 2023

The East High girls golf team recently competed in two tournaments, the first of which took place on Thursday, September 7.  For the first time ever, East High hosted the MacDonald Cup Scramble.  This tournament was unique because the two-person scramble format is something we have never done in a high school tournament.  There were a handful of girls that really enjoyed the different format, but for many girls, both literally and figuratively, it was a long (and hot) day. I won't beat around the bush...for most of our girls, this tournament was a struggle.  The heat and wind played a factor, as did the fact that a couple of our East High teams didn't really enjoy their playing partners from other schools.  There was also probably some confusion about the format of the tournament, since normally the girls play as individuals.  Whatever the reason, the tournament just wasn't quite as successful as I had imagined while organizing it. The top pairing for East High was senior J
Read more