NCMC Pirates Golf finished in 4th place as a team at the Rend Lake Spring Invite. The challenging event was held at Rend Lake Golf Course in Whittinton, IL. "It was an event that tested mental toughness as much as golf skill," remarked Coach Sager of the event as a whole.
The team was in fifth place after the first day of the event. Their steady play (shooting 317 on both days) was enough to move up one spot on the team leaderboard by the end of the event. "We probably finished right where I would have guessed prior to starting. There were very talented teams and players in the field. For the most part the guys didn't play their best golf, but it was still a step in the right direction. We have some things to tighten up before the next event, but they are small things," commented Sager.
"Scott seems to be oblivious to playing conditions. You could see the field going backwards as the weather got worse, but he was able to hold his own and post two quality numbers. He again found himself one shot away from a medal and it happened on one golf swing during the second round. He played a very simple game of fairways and greens, the guys that do it that way always seem hover at the top of leaderboards," detailed Sager of Swayne's 7th place showing.
"The guys all seemed to be leaning on their putters to save pars. You can only do that so many times, not very often can you successfully do it for eighteen holes."
The tournament was the final tune-up before the Region/District Competition on April 29-30 at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau, MO. "Dalhousie will be the toughest test we see all year. It's a links-style track with brutal rough and heather in the outlying areas. We have to hit fairways and greens to have success. If you look at our roster, you can see that we are taking a team that's built for this course. Most of the guys have played on links courses throughout their junior careers, they understand the penalty in missing targets. There are a couple teams better than us on paper, but the golf course will present a neutral playing surface, it's really anyone's to win," added Sager about the event.
Individual scores for the event were as follows:
7th Place: Scott Swayne +8
T15th Place: Jasper van der Zon +13
T30th Place: Lewis Hopkinson +19
T30th Place: Cody Glenn +19
T35th Place: James Gardner +24
T37th Place: Easton Klaver +25