July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Jay takes 2nd (09/12/06)
JCHS girls golf
Jay takes 2nd (09/12/06)
By By RAY COONEY-
Tom Ferguson's last words after the Olympic Athletic Conference tournament Monday: "I hope it's warm."
Ferguson will be feeling the breeze a bit more after his Jay County girls golf team shot a 190 on the front nine Monday at Portland Golf Club en route to a 390 18-hole score and a second place OAC finish.
Prior to the season Ferguson set his team's nine-hole goal at 190, with the agreement that if they reached it his players could shave his head. Now, he's bald.
His Patriots avenged a couple of regular-season losses, finishing ahead of Anderson Highland (392) and Muncie Southside (397) and behind champion Connersville (369) for the second straight season. Jay County junior Trisha Champ scored her second consecutive runner-up finish individually with an 82, four strokes behind back-to-back champion Katie Windlan of Highland.
"Obviously we hit one of our major team goals, which was a 190," said Ferguson. "That was a goal we set at the beginning of the season which I thought was attainable, but would be difficult, and we hit it.
"The girls came back and won against two teams that had beat us during the season. That was our main goal today."
Ferguson said he also hoped to have a chance to win the OAC, but "Connersville was just too strong. They needed to have an off day for us to have a chance, but I can't complain.
"We played well, especially on the front side. ... We just wanted to play well today. I knew if we played well we had a chance to beat Highland and South."
Led by the best nine-hole score of the season - the previous low was a 193 against South Adams Aug. 22 - the Patriots were able to avenge regular-season losses to Highland and Southside.
Champ's putting had struggled recently, but after a three-putt bogey on the opening hole she put together an outstanding front nine.
She followed her opening hole with back-to-back pars, then hit her second shot on the 301-yard, par-5 sixth hole to the base of the green. Her eagle putt came up just short, and she tapped in for the only Patriot birdie of the day.
Champ added pars on holes seven, eight, 14 and 17 for her second-place finish.
"Trisha Champ came in with a good nine holes, which she needed before sectional," said Ferguson, whose team will play in the Norwell sectional Saturday at Timber Ridge Golf Course in Bluffton. "Hopefully that will give her some confidence again."
No. 5 player Ivy Simons had the No. 2 score on the day for Jay County, and sealed the fate of her coach's hair on the front nine.
Simons had a double-bogey on the opening hole and a triple on the ninth, but strung together seven consecutive bogeys in between for a personal-best nine-hole score of 47 to complete the team's 190. Her highlight came on the seventh hole, where she cut the corner of the dog-leg left and hopped her tee shot through the out-of-bounds area. She knocked her second shot to the end of the fairway, chipped onto the green and two-putted for the sixth of her seven straight bogeys.
The sophomore added four more bogeys on the back side for her personal-best 18-hole score of 99.
Senior Miranda Denney also came through with personal-best scores for nine and 18 holes at 48 and 100 respectively. She hit bogeys to open and close the front nine, and had her lone par on the 101-yard, par 3 13th hole. Four more bogeys on the back side gave her a 48 after scoring a 52 on the front side.
"Ivy is just consistent," said Ferguson. "Ivy doesn't do anything real spectacular, but she hits a lot of good, clean shots. I think that's going to be her strength and I think her scores will just continue to drop.
"Miranda is getting off the tee well. She made fewer mistakes today, so that was nice."
Ashley Bunch had a run of a couple of bad holes on front nine for a 56, but rebounded on the back nine to post the Patriots' No. 4 team score. She had three bogeys on the back nine to finish at 109.
Brittany Lewis parred the opening hole and was part of the 190 with a 53 on the front side before struggling on the back to finish at 118.
Filling out the top five all-conference slots behind Windlan and Champ were Connersville's Brittney Miller (84) and Sara Bernzott (88) and Southside's Monnica Sheffield (91).[[In-content Ad]]
Ferguson will be feeling the breeze a bit more after his Jay County girls golf team shot a 190 on the front nine Monday at Portland Golf Club en route to a 390 18-hole score and a second place OAC finish.
Prior to the season Ferguson set his team's nine-hole goal at 190, with the agreement that if they reached it his players could shave his head. Now, he's bald.
His Patriots avenged a couple of regular-season losses, finishing ahead of Anderson Highland (392) and Muncie Southside (397) and behind champion Connersville (369) for the second straight season. Jay County junior Trisha Champ scored her second consecutive runner-up finish individually with an 82, four strokes behind back-to-back champion Katie Windlan of Highland.
"Obviously we hit one of our major team goals, which was a 190," said Ferguson. "That was a goal we set at the beginning of the season which I thought was attainable, but would be difficult, and we hit it.
"The girls came back and won against two teams that had beat us during the season. That was our main goal today."
Ferguson said he also hoped to have a chance to win the OAC, but "Connersville was just too strong. They needed to have an off day for us to have a chance, but I can't complain.
"We played well, especially on the front side. ... We just wanted to play well today. I knew if we played well we had a chance to beat Highland and South."
Led by the best nine-hole score of the season - the previous low was a 193 against South Adams Aug. 22 - the Patriots were able to avenge regular-season losses to Highland and Southside.
Champ's putting had struggled recently, but after a three-putt bogey on the opening hole she put together an outstanding front nine.
She followed her opening hole with back-to-back pars, then hit her second shot on the 301-yard, par-5 sixth hole to the base of the green. Her eagle putt came up just short, and she tapped in for the only Patriot birdie of the day.
Champ added pars on holes seven, eight, 14 and 17 for her second-place finish.
"Trisha Champ came in with a good nine holes, which she needed before sectional," said Ferguson, whose team will play in the Norwell sectional Saturday at Timber Ridge Golf Course in Bluffton. "Hopefully that will give her some confidence again."
No. 5 player Ivy Simons had the No. 2 score on the day for Jay County, and sealed the fate of her coach's hair on the front nine.
Simons had a double-bogey on the opening hole and a triple on the ninth, but strung together seven consecutive bogeys in between for a personal-best nine-hole score of 47 to complete the team's 190. Her highlight came on the seventh hole, where she cut the corner of the dog-leg left and hopped her tee shot through the out-of-bounds area. She knocked her second shot to the end of the fairway, chipped onto the green and two-putted for the sixth of her seven straight bogeys.
The sophomore added four more bogeys on the back side for her personal-best 18-hole score of 99.
Senior Miranda Denney also came through with personal-best scores for nine and 18 holes at 48 and 100 respectively. She hit bogeys to open and close the front nine, and had her lone par on the 101-yard, par 3 13th hole. Four more bogeys on the back side gave her a 48 after scoring a 52 on the front side.
"Ivy is just consistent," said Ferguson. "Ivy doesn't do anything real spectacular, but she hits a lot of good, clean shots. I think that's going to be her strength and I think her scores will just continue to drop.
"Miranda is getting off the tee well. She made fewer mistakes today, so that was nice."
Ashley Bunch had a run of a couple of bad holes on front nine for a 56, but rebounded on the back nine to post the Patriots' No. 4 team score. She had three bogeys on the back nine to finish at 109.
Brittany Lewis parred the opening hole and was part of the 190 with a 53 on the front side before struggling on the back to finish at 118.
Filling out the top five all-conference slots behind Windlan and Champ were Connersville's Brittney Miller (84) and Sara Bernzott (88) and Southside's Monnica Sheffield (91).[[In-content Ad]]
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