Weather hampers golfers on links
BELLINGHAM – Rain, wind and an unfamiliar course took its toll on the Greater Spokane League’s boys in yesterday’s beginning round of the State 4A golf tournament.
Out of nine GSL players, only four made the cut, severing Lewis and Clark’s and Central Valley’s hopes of taking home the 4A team title.
To qualify for the team title, schools must have at least two competitors. Both schools only have one person playing in the second part of the tournament today: sophomores Justin Haase for LC and Sean Mitchell for CV.
“We’re disappointed, no doubt about it,” LC coach Jim Travis said. “But that’s the nature of the game.”
The rain persisted steadily for most of the morning, adding to the difficulty of the day.
“The kids who went out early had a difficult time,” Travis said. “They fought the weather for 14 holes or so. But that’s the way golf is and the way luck is.”
CV coach Tim Hunsaker said the GSL teams weren’t used to playing in conditions like the ones at Avalon Golf Links in Burlington. Hunsaker said Avalon is a links course, on which their players don’t frequently play.
“It’s way different than what we’re used to,” Hunsaker said. “We don’t have any links courses in Spokane. [And] It’s never this wet.”
Travis said the last golfer in for the day scored a 6-over-par 78, which made him the last to make the cut, and knock any one with a 7-over or more out of the competition. LC senior Connor Moran just barely missed the cut, with a 7-over 79.
“The score was definitely a lot higher, but the conditions were a lot harder and the course didn’t really allow for a lot of opportunities for birdies,” Moran said.
One of the four competitors from the GSL to make the cut was University High School junior Hank Frame, who wasn’t put off by the weather.
“The rain’s pretty irrelevant,” Frame said. “This season we’ve played in sun or snow, so it’ll be fun. At least it’s raining down and not sideways.”
Frame qualified for the final part of the tournament with a 3-over 75. He said many of the GSL players came close to making the cut, but the tricky course might have cost them.
“This course isn’t very forgiving,” Frame said. “It has a lot of bushes and trees. One bad swing could cost you a couple of strokes.”
The other GSL competitor to make the cut was Ferris sophomore Garrett Howard, who shot a 4-over 76.