Despite fielding only four of five varsity golfers, the Humboldt Cubs took third at Monday’s Erie Invitational.
The Cubs were among six competing teams with a total score of 407 strokes, which was 80 strokes behind tournament champion Caney Valley and 45 strokes behind runner-up and tournament host Erie.
“I’m glad we got team medals. It’s the first time we’ve got one this year,” Humboldt coach Bret Houser said. “It was something I knew we could work toward and hopefully we’ll add more in the coming weeks. We’re improving scores week to week.” 
After taking first at the Caney Valley Invitational in his varsity debut and another first place finish in his performance at the Burlington Invitational, Humboldt freshman Connor Newman continued adding hardware to his trophy case with a first place finish in Erie. Newman shot a 34 on the front nine holes of the par 36 Prairie Ridge Golf Course, then 35 on the back nine to card a 69 on the day.
“It’s really just gutting out victories, staying in and battling,” Newman said. “Golf is one of those games where you have to battle every hole. I’m really doing my best to keep a positive mindset and playing hole to hole. Play every shot and not think about the last one.”
Although taking first Monday, Newman believes he has plenty of areas of improvement before he and the Cubs return to the links Tuesday for the Fredonia Invitational.
“I’m trying not to become too overconfident. That’s when you fall back to the bottom,” Newman said. “I’m staying at a level head, bringing my best every single day and getting better every single day.”
Newman was far from the only Cub to have success in Erie.
Senior Colden Cook finished in the top 20 after carding a 106 for 19th overall. He opened the day with a with a 53 on the front nine and a consistent 53 on the back.
Junior Layne Ellison was four strokes behind Cook, finishing 25th of the 50-man field. Ellison shot a 57 on the front nine and 53 on the back to card a 110 on the day.
“Last week [Cook] was in the low 110s,” Bret Houser said. “He was able to drop some strokes, I believe this is his best score in Erie.”
Rounding up the pack was sophomore Thatcher Mueller in 36th place. Mueller opened the tournament with a 54 on the front nine, then 68 on the back nine to card a 122. Coach Houser credited Mueller for his improvement. Likening Prairie Ridge to the links at the Caney Golf Club, Houser said he was proud of Mueller for shaving six strokes off his final score.
