Willis dominates

GENEVA — Since she began her high school golf career two years ago, Sydney Willis has owned the South Adams Invitational.
The Starfire senior, who is also home schooled, shot a 3-over-par 74 Wednesday to win the tournament at Golf Club of the Limberlost for the third consecutive season.
“I just got off my summer season so I’m still rolling with it,” said Willis, a state qualifier as a sophomore. “It wasn’t that big of a step (to the high school season).”
Willis paced a South Adams squad that finished second on its home course. The Bellmont Squaws scored 376 for the win. The Starfires totaled 391 for second, and Fort Wayne Canterbury was third with 395.
Jay County placed fourth with 407.
“For some reason — even in high school — I get nerves (the first match),” Willis said.
But it was hard to tell.
She began her round with pars on back-to-back holes before her first bogey of the day. She then made birdie on the 335-yard, par-4 fourth, before recording bogeys on consecutive holes, putting herself at 2-over through six.
Then she hit a groove, converting par on the next four holes.
The back nine is where the tournament took a strange turn, for all golfers.
Because of the flooding in June and July, three holes — the 11th, 12th and 15th — on the course were deemed unplayable. The 12th green is nearly devoid of grass.
So, director of golf operations Rod Ashman, was forced into creating a hole using the practice green near the clubhouse.
The practice green was converted into a makeshift 10th hole — an extremely short, 65-yard par three — using the men’s tee box from the regular 10th hole. Golfers then proceeded to play the available holes on the back nine before replaying the first and fifth to complete an 18-hole round.
JCHS coach Butch Gray said the abnormal course layout was a challenge mentally for the players.
“They would get in a little bit of a rhythm and then they would have to stop,” said Gray, whose team played in the Muncie Central Invitational at Cresview Golf Club in Muncie this morning. “There were a few times we had two or three groups on a tee.”
Aside from the fifth hole (which was played twice), Willis struggled at times from the tee box.
“She just couldn’t put the drive where she wanted to,” SAHS coach Seth Sprunger said. “She made a pretty decent recovery but just didn’t get to where she wants.”
Overall, Sprunger was pleased with the way his best golfer played.
“When you’re coming in at 3-over-par, it’s hard to be nitpicky at this point,” he said.
He was pleased with the performance of the rest of his golfers as well.
“We could have used maybe a little more work on our short game,” he said. “As I was driving around I would have liked to see a few strokes gained on the greens and around the greens.
“Overall I can’t be too unhappy.”
Jaci Gorrell, the Starfires’ No. 2 player, shot a 94 to place sixth. Amy Schwartz (116) and Kaiti Gorrell (107) rounded out the team score for South Adams. Becca Schwartz also competed, turning in a 123.
Brooke Sanders led Jay County with a score of 93, 10 strokes better than her 18-hole average from last season. She finished fifth.
“Good, solid individual showing,” Gray said of the senior. Sanders made par four times, the most of any Patriot player. “I know she wanted to do better, but it was kind of tough today.”
Fellow seniors Abby Saxman and Sydney Robbins were behind Sanders at 103 and 104 respectively, and junior Carlie Wickey shot a 107 to complete the Patriots’ team score.
Rachel Antrim finished with a 111 from the No. 2 spot.