Dukes it out against inclement weather

It has been a hodgepodge of a spring practice season for the Powell golf team, with troublesome weather and conflicting schedules making last weekend’s Panther Spring Invitational the first time that head coach Troy Hildebrand has had his full team competing.

The team’s opening tournament of the season was at Buffalo on April 8, with junior Austin Asher as the only Powell player making the trip to compete.

“He made the most of a great day on one of the finest courses that we play,” Hildebrand said. “Austin just joined us last year as a sophomore and he has done a great job of working hard on his own to improve.”

Asher shot a 108 that day, a 20-stroke improvement over his previous best round, marking a strong outing to start his second season.

Six days later, Treven Keeler and Bennett Walker got into the fold with Asher at a tournament in Riverton, where the weather played a big factor.

“There were steady 15-25 mile-per-hour winds and a period of heavy rain and hail during their round,” Hildebrand said.

Still, his trio battled through with Keeler carding a 105, Bennett a 109 and Asher a 115.

“Treven is a two-time state competitor for us and someone we will hope to rely on heavily next fall,” Hildebrand said. “That was Bennett’s first-ever high school tournament and he did a nice job of getting around a new course.”

The Panthers were able to bump their numbers up to an even four golfers the following weekend at Cody, though still not at full strength due to a commitment to the high school music festival hosted at Powell.

Keeler and Asher were joined by Austen Layton and Powell Middle School’s Crandell Sanders to take part in the tournament.

“Cody had a middle school division available so we were able to add Crandell to the mix,” Hildebrand said. “It really is an advantage to get him some experience on these courses and in tournament settings before he comes into high school in the fall.”

The high school threesome all garnered personal best rounds in Cody, with Keeler breaking 100 and carding a 96, with Asher dropping his low of two weeks earlier to 106.

“That could be just the boost Treven needs to work hard the rest of our season and into the summer,” Hildebrand said. “And to Austin’s credit, he felt like he could have played much better. He’s at that point of starting to see areas where he can save strokes.”

There weren’t many strokes to save at this past weekend’s wind-whipped round at the Powell Golf Club, where the Panthers were fifth among the six teams on hand.

Riverton’s Easton Paxton, a junior who has committed to play at North Carolina State in 2017, was able to solve the course and winds to an astonishing 65 on the day, the only player to score under par.

The Wolverines also got a 73 from Jordan James to help Riverton hold off Gillette (310-318) for the team win.

Lander finished third with 327, Thermopolis fourth at 368, Powell fifth with 430 and Buffalo sixth at 435.

Still, both Keeler and Walker flirted with the 100 mark, carding 103 and 104, respectively, while Layton came in with a 111 and Hunter Barnette a 112 to account for the Panther scoring.

“Treven didn’t get off to a great start, but he kept his head and finished the round strong,” Hildebrand said. “Bennett did a nice job this week in just his second tournament and Austen had a career best and is doing a much better job this spring of managing the course and keeping his score down.”

Hildebrand also noted that Barnette is a recent addition to the team, having just moved from Kansas and joined the Panthers 10 days ago.

“Hunter is a player with some experience,” he said. “And if he keeps working on his game, there are definite signs that he can be a strong player for us.”

Asher battled a nosebleed throughout his round and could only muster a 122, while Sanders got some more valuable experience in tough conditions with a 134.

“Friday wasn’t Austin’s best day, but I expect him to bounce back this week,” Hildebrand said. “Crandell didn’t play as well as he had in Cody, but I was happy with how he battled through his round.”

Finally up to a full squad, Powell next heads to Lander for a tournament on Friday.