Warsaw hopes to continue trend of successful boys golf program
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Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
With senior Will Petro and junior Jonny Hollar, Ben Barkey has a pretty strong one-two punch. Warsaw’s veteran boys golf coach, however, believes his team’s conference and postseason success could hinge on his Nos. 3, 4 and 5 players. “We have two really skilled players with Will Petro and Jonny Hollar,” said Barkey, who has guided the Tigers to the state finals in eight of his 11 seasons at the helm of the program. “The conference, or the sectional or regional, may come down to how well our Nos. 3, 4 and 5 guys do. Right now we have four juniors fighting for three spots. What we get out of those three spots is going to be important.” Among those fighting for the final three spots in the Tigers’ varsity lineup are Brandon Eckert, Ryan Cultice, Josh Ahlersmeyer and Reid Cameron. Barkey said he had 19 golfers come out for the team, which will consist of a varsity and junior varsity squad. The Tigers, who won sectional and regional championships at Stonehenge last year en route to another state finals appearance, open the season April 12 at the Hall of Fame Invite at Rock Hollow in Peru. The following weekend, Warsaw plays in the Spring Preview at The Legends in Franklin, the course the state finals are played on. “It’s the same thing I say every year...we want to win the conference championship, but our focus is on 18-hole tournaments and playing our best golf in the state tournament,” said Barkey. The state tournament this year will be a bit different, as Warsaw will again host the sectional, though it will be at Rozella Ford. The regional will again be played at Stonehenge. “I think it’s great,” said Barkey, a 1997 Warsaw grad. “I grew up playing at Rozella Ford, and we played the sectional there when I was in high school. I love the course. It’s the first time that we’ve had a sectional there in 12 years, and we’re excited about it.” Gone from Warsaw’s 2013 state finals lineup are Jon Schram, who went to Ball State University before transferring to Grace College, Tim Ahlersmeyer and Evan Cultice. In last year’s state tournament, the Tigers had some epic rounds with local rival Triton. Warsaw beat the Trojans by one stroke for the sectional title, and then beat Triton on a fifth-man tiebreaker to win the regional championship. Standouts Quentyn Carpenter and Ryan Rapp have graduated, leaving long-time coach Jack Carpenter looking for someone else to carry his Triton squad. The Tigers and Trojans will square off in regular season action on April 29.
