LA CYGNE — Iola High’s golf team ended a two-week, weather-induced hiatus Friday with a trip to Lamont Hills Golf Club in La Cygne for the Pioneer League Championship.
Leading the charge for Iola was sophomore Xander Sellman, who shot 86 and took 11th.
“Xander found himself in a lot of good positions on Friday, setting up scoring chances that he just missed on,” IHS head coach Jeremy Sellman said. “The big thing for him was he only had one bad hole on the day, carding a triple bogey after hitting his drive out of bounds and then being in a tough location by the green in a rock garden. Put that hole aside, he played really well and is in a good position going forward.”
Sophomore Chris Holloway shot a 91 and took 14th.
“Chris is so close to getting it all together on the course,” Coach Sellman said. “He let himself down with his putting. He three-putted several holes which led to double bogeys. Ole ‘three wiggle’ for sure had Chris’s number today, but the rest of his game was superb. He drove the ball well and hit crisp iron shots all day, and there is a lot of great play to lean on for next week.”
Freshman Ethan Harris was third best for IHS, his best round to date, posting a 97 for 20th. “Ethan is getting better each day and is starting to put some things together and his confidence is growing,” Sellman said. “Ethan has matured with his game and breaking into a top-20 finish at league is testament to that.”
Shooting a 105 and in 24th was sophomore Titus Jones.
“Titus struggled today with the wet conditions, more so than anybody else on the team,” Sellman said. “Titus lacked the good breaks today. His short game was impeccable and he had his first birdie today on a tough par-5 hole. Titus is the hardest working kid on the team and his scores getting better each week tells me he’s on his way to success on the course.” Finishing in 30th was freshman Trevor Tatman.
“Trevor just couldn’t catch a break today,” Sellman said. “The course threw everything at him. Trevor is a grinder and he kept pushing forward, not letting adversity get him down. I know Trevor will be ready to compete at our next tournament.
“Overall I was happy with our performance,” Sellman concluded. “We had some major accomplishments that are coming at the right time.”
Iola finished in fourth as a team.
The Mustang golfers were at Chanute’s Stone Creek Golf Course Monday. Results were not available by press time.
