The South O’Brien Boys Golf Team finished in the middle of the pack at the War Eagle Conference Golf Tournament at The Ridge in Sioux Center on Monday, May 1. The team carded a 377 team score, which put the Wolverines in a tie for 6th place with MMCRU. The #5 golfers’ scores are typically used to break the tie, but they were tied as well. Therefore, the #6 golfers’ scores were used as the tiebreaker. South O’Brien beat MMCRU by three strokes, using senior Keaton Sampson’s score of 102. “Today was a day we needed the #5 and #6 golfers’ scores,” noted Wolverine coach Kris Faust. “Keaton and freshman Alex Griebel, who are both new to the golf team this year, helped us settle the tie and made a difference!”
The top scores for the Wolverines came from Derek Paulsen and Carter Halverson, who tied for 21st place by shooting 92s. They were just one stroke out of medal contention. Halverson carded his personal best on the front nine with a 43 and hit a 49 on the back. Paulsen shot 45, 47. Said Faust, “When the 10th-20th place finishers range from 89-91 and you shoot a 92—that’s pretty frustrating. Derek and Carter are sophomores and are determined to be in the mix at the top field next season.”
Senior Dylan Strubbe finished with a 94 (47, 47) and tied for 26th. Junior David Bottjen finished tied for 38th with a 99 (50, 49). Senior Keaton Sampson and freshman Alex Griebel finished tied for 43rd with a 102 and both shot 53, 49.
Faust commented, “The cold and wind were certainly factors for all of the golfers. However, we shot right at our average on the season, so I am happy with our 6th place finish.” The top WEC golfers shot in the low 80s. Faust said with some practice over the summer, she hopes the four returning varsity golfers can improve and land on the leaderboard next year.
WEC Tournament Team Scores
1st – Akron-Westfield 345, 2nd – Remsen St. Mary’s 358, 3rd – Unity Christian 361, 4th – Gehlen Catholic 363, 5th – Hinton 364, 6th – South O’Brien 377, 7th – MMCRU 377, 8th – Harris-Lake Park 388, 9th – West Sioux 394, 10th – Trinity Christian 407, 11th – HMS 408.