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GOSHEN - One girl golfed as expected in Saturday's Northern Lakes Conference Tournament.
One team did not.
Wawasee's Kari Wortinger fired an 81 over 18 holes for the best individual score at Larimer Greens Golf Club, five strokes ahead of Goshen's Erin Sample and her 86. Goshen finished first to win the team title with a 360. Warsaw, which hoped to challenge for second, finished 52 strokes out of first with a 412, placing the Tigers fourth.
The Wawasee Warriors have golfed 15 dual matches this year. Wortinger has finished first in 13 of them.
She parred 12 of the 18 holes on Larimer's par-72 course. Wortinger plays the course once or twice a year.
This year, Wortinger said, she came through in the clutch.
"A couple of weeks ago I shot a 39 on the front nine here," she said. "That helped my confidence. Really, ever since my freshman year, I had choked. I choked really bad last year.
"The biggest change from last year is my chipping and putting is so much better. My sand wedge especially has helped a lot. We may not be very good, but it's fun. The girls give me confidence, and this year I've been consistent."
Once again Wortinger was Wawasee's only star. The Warriors were sixth in NLC dual matches, and they finished sixth at the tournament with a 444.
Last Thursday the Tigers shot a 184, their season-best score. The Tigers were 12-2 overall and 5-1 in NLC dual meets coming into the tournament.
All year long the Tigers masked the fact they lost last year's top three starters - Tricia Suchecki, Julie Arnold and Amy Landis - to graduation. Last year's fourth and fifth players - Brooke Westover and Ashley Cooper - are in the first two spots in the lineup. And Cooper actually split time with April Turner in the No. 5 slot.
The Tigers still played well most of the season, but Turner believes losing those players may have caught up with his team at the tournament.
"Some of the girls told me before the match they were nervous," he said. "Only one girl - Brooke - had a high level of varsity experience.
"There's not very many people who watch you at dual matches. At a match like this, more people walk with you. That can cause you to grip the club a little tighter."
Earlier in the week Turner said the Tigers were playing for second because of the Goshen Redskins, who went 6-0 in NLC dual matches.
But the Tigers came out and laid a 214 egg in the first round, dropping them even further.
"That's the thing with this game, you never know what will happen the next time out," Turner said. "Look at Tiger Woods. He didn't qualify for the Canadian Open."
The Tigers did rebound to shoot a 198 on their last nine holes, but it didn't matter. NorthWood and Concord leapfrogged the Tigers, each shooting a 400.
"Give credit to Concord," Turner said. "This is their home course. There is water in places here that can get you in trouble quickly. And it did get us in trouble."
Indeed.
Westover took a 10 in her first spot in the lineup on the fifth hole. Why? She hit two balls in the water.
Still, Westover led all Tigers with a 100. Kerri Wrobel, Warsaw's No. 4 golfer, shot a 102. Cooper shot a 103, and Turner shot a 107. Tosha Nance, Warsaw's fifth golfer, shot a 120.
"We settled down on the backside and shot a 198," Turner said. "It was too little, too late."
Even at this match, Turner was already eyeing next Saturday. The Tigers will host the sectional at Rozella Ford. The Tigers are 8-0 at home and have shot higher than 202 only twice.
The tournament and NLC dual matches are added together to figure overall standings. The Tigers placed second in dual matches and fourth in the tournament for third overall. Goshen was first and NorthWood second. Concord, Plymouth, Wawasee and Northridge rounded out fourth through seven.
"We're disappointed to finish third in the conference, but to be honest, we figured we were playing for second," Turner said. "We're disappointed now, but we still have the sectional next week. That's where we want to play well."
