Ben Barkey doesn't mind winning nine-hole matches, which is what his Warsaw boys golf team did Tuesday, but the seventh-year coach is focused on coming out on top in 18-hole matches.
Not a bad mentality to have, considering the 18-hole Northern Lakes Conference Match is set for Saturday at Plymouth Country Club, and the state tournament is just a few weeks away, with sectional play scheduled for June 6 at Stonehenge."It's all about 18-hole matches," said Barkey, whose Tigers beat NLC foe Elkhart Memorial 161-179 on the back nine at Stonehenge. "We played in an 18-hole match this past weekend and tied the No. 3 team in the state. We ended up losing on a fifth-man tiebreaker and finished second, but we're young, and we were right there. We really think we should have won that match."
The Tigers, who generally have two freshman and a sophomore in their five-man varsity lineup, went toe-to-toe with third-ranked Hamilton Southeastern in the CMA Invitational at Mystic Hills Saturday.
In Tuesday's nine-hole match with Elkhart Memorial there was no drama, as the Tigers improved to 7-2 overall and 3-2 in conference action.
"That's not a bad score," said Barkey. "We're still coming along, and we know we're better than this. If that's the worst we're gonna do, then we'll be OK. We want to be ready for 18-hole matches, so we represent ourselves well at the NLC Match and in the state tournament. I think our schedule of tough invitationals will really help us. We've played against some great competition and on some legit courses."
Kal Denlinger tied Memorial's Brad Douglas for medalist honors Tuesday and led the Tigers with a 39, followed by Mitchell Gauger's 40. Scotty Boyle and Eric Tandy shot 41s, while Tyler Ostrom carded a 44.
"It's been fun," Denlinger, a junior, said of Warsaw's young team progressing from the start of the season. "We started out bad, but that's just because we're a really young team. We've been playing a lot better. We love to play the best competition and see where we are, and we're disappointed when we lose. Like last weekend, we think we should have won that invitational."
To go with Douglas' 39, the Crimson Chargers got a 44 from Mitch Sailor, while Mike Stutz carded a 46 and Sam Girten and Kyle Ritchie finished with 50 and 57, respectively.
Warsaw's JV team defeated Memorial 179-237.
Freshman Bennett Hollar, who has spent the majority of the season on the varsity team, led the Tiger JV squad with a 46.
WARSAW 161, ELKHART MEMORIAL 179
Warsaw - Scotty Boyle 41, Mitchell Gauger 40, Eric Tandy 41, Kal Denlinger 39, Tyler Ostrom 44
Memorial - Mike Stutz 46, Mitch Sailor 44, Brad Douglas 39, Sam Girten 50, Kyle Ritchie 57
Warsaw record: 7-2, 3-2 NLC
JV - Warsaw 179, Memorial 237
Warsaw JV - Bennett Hollar 46, Lance Lybarger 51, Simon Stone 51, Nate Stone 66, Adam Becker 53
