PHS golf completes first weekend

Posted 8/18/20

Powell High School’s boys’ golf team played in its first two events last week: the Park County Shootout and Cody High School Invite. Both events were played at Olive Glenn Golf and …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

PHS golf completes first weekend

Posted

Powell High School’s boys’ golf team played in its first two events last week: the Park County Shootout and Cody High School Invite. Both events were played at Olive Glenn Golf and Country Club in Cody.

In the Park County Shootout, which took place on Thursday, Powell recorded a team score of 411, which put the team in seventh place. Senior George Higgins tallied the Panthers’ best score of the day with a 84 and took ninth place as an individual.

At the Cody HS Invite, a smaller tournament held on Friday, Powell finished fifth with a score of 414. Higgins once again had the team’s best score, this time at 79.

Even though the Panthers didn’t finish at the top of the leaderboard either day, it was a chance for the team to play competitive golf after a long offseason.

“Everyone was excited to be back on the course and having an opportunity for the kids to compete after the way things ended last spring,” head coach Troy Hildebrand said. “Coach Jacob Kraft of Cody always runs a first class event, and even in these trying times, with some new restrictions, he did an excellent job.”

Higgins was the only Panther to break 100 on either day, and his score of 79 on Friday tied for third place, individually.

“George does an excellent job of exhibiting all of the characteristics that I hope to develop in the younger players on our team,” Hildebrand said. “He will be a tremendous role model for us all year and I think his best golf is ahead of him this fall.”

Freshman Andrew Jones — who the coach said has “put a ton of time and work into his game over the past two years” — followed with rounds of 101 and 108. His highlights included two birdies on Thursday and a strong par-par-bogey finish on Friday after making a 10, showing “the type of grit that will serve him well in golf,” the coach said.

Brandon Wentz shot 118 then “showed great improvement” in shooting a 109 Friday. “I can really see Brandon stepping up throughout the season,” the coach said.

Senior Yogi Sullivan fired rounds of 117 and 118, displaying a golf game that was better than his score.

“Yogi will work hard in the next couple weeks and I can see things coming together for him pretty soon,” the coach said.

Another freshman, Gunnar Erickson shot 115-121.

“This will be a good spot for him to start from and as a tough competitor I know that he will take the steps to improve seriously,” Hildebrand said.

Rounding out the squad, senior Trevor Groves shot a 114-124 — he’ll “certainly be a player that is battling for a [varsity] spot all year with us,” Hildebrand said — while freshman Isaiah Woyak shot 116-127 and senior Jacob Thiel went 131-132.

Those eight Powell golfers played in both events, while sophomore Seth Siebert (122) and freshmen Parker Williams (129) and Will Jackson (140) competed on Friday. For several, it was their first time playing in an organized golf tournament.

“It was a great chance for us to get a number of the new young players in the program their first tournament experience,” Hildebrand said. “We are very heavy on young players this year and a number of players that are around the same scores to start this season.”

Next up for the team is a two-day tournament in Worland on Thursday and Friday. In the days leading up to the competition, Hildebrand hopes to shave a few strokes from the team’s score by honing in on the short game.

“We will go to work this week on short game and putting which looks to be a huge area of improvement for us as an entire team,” Hildebrand said. “That is the part of the game where most players in our range can show the quickest improvement to their scores as they learn how to manage the game and maybe a few different types of shots.”

Powell High School, Panther Golf

Comments