Jonny Hollar takes medalist honors, Tigers fifth as a team
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Staff Report-
Playing against some of the best players and teams in the state, Warsaw’s Jonny Hollar was the medalist in Saturday’s Don Dicken Classic at Stonehenge, while the Tigers’ varsity squad finished fifth among the 14 schools. The event is named for the long-time PGA Master Professional, who retired after 35 years at Rozella Ford Hollar, a senior for coach Ben Barkey’s Tigers, shot a 1-over round of 72 to claim top individual honors. “Jonny played great today. With the greens being aerated, he made a lot of birdies, which is really amazing,” said Barkey. “Indiana high school golf is piloting a program which gives coaches and spectators live scoring. Because of this Jonny knew on the last hole that all he needed wa a par to capture the title. “As a team, we’ve been talking a lot about creating a plan for each hole. After he piped a drive down the center he wanted confirmation that hitting 3-wood was the right play. He was able to execute that shot and then he pitched onto the green for a 10-foot birdie putt. The putt trickled by, but a nice tap-in was all he needed.” Other varsity scores for Warsaw included Brandon Eckert’s 78, Ryan Cultice’s 81, Reid Cameron’s 85 and Michael Jensen’s 89. As a team, the Tigers shot 316 and finished fifth. Top-ranked Westfield captured the team title with a 298, while Homestead and Carmel tied for second, 10 strokes back. Fifth-ranked Hamilton Southeastern was fourth at 312, while the Tigers rounded out the top five. Among other ranked teams, No. 15 Noblesville finished sixth with a 318, while No. 11 Crown Point was eighth at 326. Triton finished 13th with a 349, while Warsaw’s junior varsity team finished 15th after shooting a 357. “I’m really pleased how this team is progressing two weeks into the competitive season,” said Barkey. “We played a tough course today, probably the longest they will see all season, and we improved from last week. “We still have tons of room to improve, but the potential is there to be a top contender in our area. We’ve started four seniors, which is a first since I’ve started coaching, and they have really committed themselves to this team. All four have worked real hard in the offseason, and that is really special.” Luke Johnson led the Tigers’ JV team Saturday with an 85, while Tim Rata shot 89. Other players for Warsaw included Andrew Gauger (90), Sam Yearger (93), Tommy Meier (96), Jacob LaLonde (94) and Luke Delp (116). The Tigers are in action again Saturday in the Fort Wayne Concordia Invite, while Triton plays Thursday against county rival Plymouth.
DON DICKEN CLASSIC Stonehenge, par-71 Medalist – Jonny Hollar (Warsaw) 72 Team Scores – Westfield 298, Homestead 308, Carmel 308, Hamilton Southeastern 312, Warsaw 316, Noblesville 318, Lake Central 324, Crown Point 326, Avon 327, Columbus North 329, Canterbury 341, Mishawaka Marian 347, Triton 349, Boone Grove 354, Warsaw (JV) 357 Warsaw – Jonny Hollar 72, Brandon Eckert 78, Ryan Cultice 81, Reid Cameron 85, Michael Jensen 89 Warsaw JV – Luke Johnson 85, Tim Rata 89, Andrew Gauger 90, Sam Yearger 93, Tommy Meier 96, Jacob LaLonde 94, Luke Delp 116
