The start of the season has been a productive one for the Ste. Genevieve Dragons golf program, as they remain undefeated. The Varsity squad was victorious twice this past week, competing in two tri-meets. The Junior Varsity team was also equally successful, winning twice as well.
On Monday, March 22, the Dragons’ clubs heated up immediately, as they knocked off Windsor and St. Pius. The Varsity came out strong and took first place with a team score of 200, besting St. Pius’ 219, and Windsor’s 259.
Grant Weiler was the match’s first-place medalist with a 43. Landon Rose was the second-place medalist with a 48. Dalan Roth was next with a 54. Just behind him were Luke Basler with a 55, Kellen Hogenmiller shooting 56 and Bryce Barley who shot a 58.
Head Coach Ryan Mueller commented on Weiler, “Grant had one of his best performances today on the course. He excelled in making great shots in important situations. He sunk a great 20 ft. putt to save par on hole three, and managed to escape a poor lie off of his drive to make a birdie on hole seven.”
Speaking on Rose, Mueller said, “Landon also made some excellent shots when needed. He didn’t have the best of drives off of hole two, but was able to save par with excellent approach shots and putts.”
Commenting on Roth, Mueller mentioned, “Dalan also had a good outing, playing his first ever Varsity match. He had a few shaky holes, but was able to keep his mental toughness up and bounce back and get a par on hole six and a bogey on hole four.”
“Basler had one of the best mentalities I have seen on the golf course. He came out swinging and started with a bogey on our longest par four of the course, and then had some tough luck on hole number four. He was always seeing the silver lining, and looked to improve after every stroke,” said Mueller.
Hogenmiller had a shaky start with his first three holes, but was able to bounce back with a couple of bogeys and a par on his scorecard. Said Mueller, “Kellen had some difficult lies but was able to work his way around the course to save every stroke possible. He at times struggled with his confidence and mental toughness, but once he got his mental game back, he was playing his normal golf.”
Barley didn’t have the start he had wanted, with a double bogey on hole three, followed with a nine on hole five. Mueller commented, “Bryce as well had some struggles with his mental toughness, but he was able to reign himself in to save every stroke he could for the team. He was able to get a par and two bogeys on the day.”
The JV also took first place shooting a 224. Gavin Huck was the first-place medalist with a 48 and Braden Huck was the second-place medalist with a 56. Mueller said, “Both of these athletes have shown great improvement and continue to grow.”
Other notable JV scores were Tanner Weiler with a 59 and Thomas Elder with a 61.
Two days later, the team again competed in a tri-meet, against Perryville and St. Vincent. Again, the squad came out with their clubs smoking, improving from Monday’s score by 15 strokes. The Varsity team shot a 185 to win the meet.
Leading the pack was Barley with a 42. Mueller said, “Bryce’s mental game was outstanding and was able to use great course management to be able to shoot six over par. Bryce’s greatest strength out of today’s match was his putting and his mental toughness to keep fighting for every stroke.”
The next low scorer was Basler. Mueller noted, “Luke had some great shots, and also had great mental toughness. He was able to conquer his least favorite hole and obtain a bogey, which made him ecstatic and carried on his positivity for the rest of the round.”
Weiler started out on his first three holes six over par, but that did not stop him. Mueller said, “Grant did have some challenges on his mental game, but was soon back to his normal self by getting back on track with only adding two additional strokes on his next three holes. He was able to bounce back and fight for his shots to help maintain a good overall score.”
Commenting on Rose, Mueller said, “Landon didn’t have the score he was expecting, but was able to keep his overall score in the 40’s, shooting a 49. Landon is exceptional at course management whenever he doesn’t have the best lie off of his tee shot. Landon knows where he could capitalize on strokes and will be determined to get his desired outcome in future matches.”
Hogenmiller had a great round as well, shooting a 49. Mueller said, “Kellen started off on his first four holes only being three over par. He had some difficulty on hole five, but was able to bounce back and stay strong mentally on the course. Kellen had some outstanding shots, and he was able to use course management and acknowledgement of the rules to help him score in the 40’s.”
JV also came out hot and beat their last score by four strokes. Their score went from a 224 to a 220. Huck was the JV medalist with a low score of 48.
Now sitting at 4-0, the Dragons have set the tone for the season, and will continue to practice hard to remain undefeated for as long as possible.
