On a cold blustery afternoon, members of the Warsaw golf team warm up on the putting green while waiting to have their photos taken. Just business as usual.

But this year's season, although less than half finished, is much different from usual.

For starters, one of Warsaw's top players, Jake Brodhead, has yet to play in a single match. Before the season began, he broke a bone in his hand and has been unable to play so far.

"Jake played No. 1 for us last year," said Warsaw coach Ben Barkey. "He is one of our top returners, so we are still missing a piece of the puzzle. He's ready to be back."

"This season has been a good learning experience," said Tiger golfer Chris Hanson. "We are learning to play without our No. 1 golfer from last year."

Especially after watching his brother Ben's performance at the Tiger Invitational.

Just last weekend, Ben Brodhead broke a pair of school records and tied two more on Stonehenge Golf Course. Ben's 18-hole 67 broke the old mark of 68 held by several Tiger golfers, including pro Denny Hepler.

Ben's 4-under-par 32 on the back nine broke the nine-hole record held previously by Adam Johnson.

Ben's 10 putts and four birdies tied two other Warsaw records as well.

"Ben would have beaten any high school golfer in Indiana that day," said Barkey. "A lot of the pros in Indiana would not be able to shoot that score on this course."

Barkey knew Ben was having quite a day on Saturday, but the coach was hesitant to interfere.

"When someone is playing as good as Ben was Saturday, no matter where you are on the course, you hear about it," said Barkey. "I knew he was playing well, but I just left him alone. The more oblivious he was to it, the better. I didn't want him to think about it and get tense."

Ben's score helped lead the Warsaw squad to an overall team score of 298 and a first-place finish in the Tiger Invite.

After Saturday's performance, the Tigers traveled to Logansport Monday evening where they defeated both Culver Military Academy and No. 14 Logansport by one stroke.

"We just keep improving," said Barkey.

And when the high school golf polls came out Tuesday afternoon, the improvement Barkey spoke of was reflected in Warsaw's No. 7 ranking.

That No. 7 ranking did not come from just one player's scores. It took a total team effort.

"We are excited, but we need to stay focused," said Barkey.

A major factor in helping the team stay focused is No. 1 golfer and 2003 state-qualifier Hanson.

"Chris is a solid all-around player," said Hanson. "He is very consistent. He hits so many greens. His short game needs a little work. He's a good putter but not a great one. Once he starts dropping putts, he will be very dangerous."

Golfing in the No. 2 spot for the Tigers is junior Jon Clevenger.

"Jon Clevenger has the best short game of any player on the team by far," said Barkey. "He is a solid competitor."

Then comes freshman Grant Slater in the No. 3 spot.

"Grant has broken 80 for us twice," said Barkey. "We expect that out of him, and he knows it. He is very solid, and he has played in a lot of summer tournaments so this is not new to him. He's used to it, so he doesn't have many nerves."

Golfing in the No. 4 position for Warsaw is sophomore Skyler Scott.

"Skyler is filling in for Jake while he takes his break," said Barkey. "He has done an outstanding job filling the void left by one of our better players. He has worked very hard to put up some solid fifth-man numbers."

Ben Brodhead rounds out the Tiger varsity starting five.

"Ben is kind of the ace up our sleeve," said Barkey. "Off the course he is a good leader, helping out the JV guys when they need it."

But the Tigers are far from finished this season. They have some big goals to reach.

"We have really high goals," said Clevenger. "We want to do well every time we go out. We want to win the NLC and have a good run in the state championship like everybody else. Everybody wants to be a state champion."

"We are looking forward to the rest of the season," said Hanson. [[In-content Ad]]