Warsaw Places Second In Tiger Invitational
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
After graduating five seniors who led Warsaw to two consecutive appearances in the IHSAA state finals, including a fourth-place finish in 2001, there is no question that this would be considered a rebuilding year for Warsaw's boys golf team.
Five new faces for the Tigers aren't the only thing new this year for Warsaw as Ben Barkey replaces the popular Bob Turner as boys coach, and the Tigers have moved their play to the Stonehenge Golf Club after many years at Rozella Ford.
"It's a pleasure to see these guys out here," said Stonehenge pro Dave Shumaker. "Our members have been very cooperative. I am looking forward to watching these young men play."
One thing remains the same though; the Tigers have a good team and a good program. The rebuilding might not take as long as many thought by virtue of a few of the better young players in the area. The Tigers found themselves ranked No. 20 in the most recent statewide poll.
After shooting a 321 team total at The Legends last week in the Franklin Invitational, the Tigers went out and fired a 325 at Stonehenge Saturday in the Tiger Invitational.
That score was good enough for a second-place finish behind Plymouth's 324.
Credit Plymouth's outstanding senior, Adam Gifford, with their win as he shot an even-par round of 71. Quite an accomplishment considering he had never seen the course before.
"I am really pleased," said Gifford, who will attend Notre Dame next year, "I just kept making pars."
The Tigers were led by one of their many young players as sophomore Chris Hanson shot rounds of 38-39 for a 77.
Ben Brodhead wasn't far behind with 39-41 for an 80. Ben's brother Jake Brodhead and Jeremy Neiter, the lone senior on the team, both shot rounds of 84, contributing to the team total of 325.
Sophomore Austin Lehman shot a 91. His score didn't count to the team total as only the four low scores of five count to the team's score.
"The kids are improving a little bit at a time," said Barkey. "We did alright today, we just didn't quite get it done. We didn't finish as strong as we started. We started out pretty good but we just didn't finish as well as we could have. Today was a tough day. The greens were extremely fast. Chris had a nice round though. He is capable of 77 every time out. He is new to the varsity and just needs experience. It was nice to see him put that number on the board."
Barkey knows that experience on this team must come quickly as things don't get any easier. "We are just taking it step-by-step. It will be a slow process but as the NLC's and sectional come up we hope to be ready."
The Tigers visit CMA on Monday to take on both Culver and state-ranked Logansport. Saturday the Tigers will visit the Aberdeen course in Valparasio for an invitational. [[In-content Ad]]
After graduating five seniors who led Warsaw to two consecutive appearances in the IHSAA state finals, including a fourth-place finish in 2001, there is no question that this would be considered a rebuilding year for Warsaw's boys golf team.
Five new faces for the Tigers aren't the only thing new this year for Warsaw as Ben Barkey replaces the popular Bob Turner as boys coach, and the Tigers have moved their play to the Stonehenge Golf Club after many years at Rozella Ford.
"It's a pleasure to see these guys out here," said Stonehenge pro Dave Shumaker. "Our members have been very cooperative. I am looking forward to watching these young men play."
One thing remains the same though; the Tigers have a good team and a good program. The rebuilding might not take as long as many thought by virtue of a few of the better young players in the area. The Tigers found themselves ranked No. 20 in the most recent statewide poll.
After shooting a 321 team total at The Legends last week in the Franklin Invitational, the Tigers went out and fired a 325 at Stonehenge Saturday in the Tiger Invitational.
That score was good enough for a second-place finish behind Plymouth's 324.
Credit Plymouth's outstanding senior, Adam Gifford, with their win as he shot an even-par round of 71. Quite an accomplishment considering he had never seen the course before.
"I am really pleased," said Gifford, who will attend Notre Dame next year, "I just kept making pars."
The Tigers were led by one of their many young players as sophomore Chris Hanson shot rounds of 38-39 for a 77.
Ben Brodhead wasn't far behind with 39-41 for an 80. Ben's brother Jake Brodhead and Jeremy Neiter, the lone senior on the team, both shot rounds of 84, contributing to the team total of 325.
Sophomore Austin Lehman shot a 91. His score didn't count to the team total as only the four low scores of five count to the team's score.
"The kids are improving a little bit at a time," said Barkey. "We did alright today, we just didn't quite get it done. We didn't finish as strong as we started. We started out pretty good but we just didn't finish as well as we could have. Today was a tough day. The greens were extremely fast. Chris had a nice round though. He is capable of 77 every time out. He is new to the varsity and just needs experience. It was nice to see him put that number on the board."
Barkey knows that experience on this team must come quickly as things don't get any easier. "We are just taking it step-by-step. It will be a slow process but as the NLC's and sectional come up we hope to be ready."
The Tigers visit CMA on Monday to take on both Culver and state-ranked Logansport. Saturday the Tigers will visit the Aberdeen course in Valparasio for an invitational. [[In-content Ad]]