Jay golfers sixth at invite

FARMLAND — The Patriots had a strong showing in their first invitational of the season.
Unfortunately for them, they were playing against a stacked field.
Jay County High School’s boys golf team had its four top players shoot in the 80s Saturday as it finished sixth in the Monroe Central Invitational at its sectional course, Hickory Hills Golf Club.
The Yorktown Tigers won the team title with a score of 294. Last year’s champion Marion was the runner-up with 311, and Pendleton Heights was third with 326.
Delta — Jay County hosts the Eagles at 4:30 p.m. today at Portland Golf Club — and Wapahani tied for fourth with 327. The Patriots scored 341.
JCHS coach Butch Gray was happy with the way his team played on a warm, sunny, slightly breezy day.
“I was very pleased,” said Gray. “We’ve gone over (to Hickory Hills) and not done that. I think our score was better than a lot of times we’ve gone and played.”
In the same tournament last season, Jay County totaled 365. At sectional in June, the Patriots had a 352.
“Probably take away penalty strokes (and) we would have been up (the standings) a little bit higher,” Gray said. “I think they know what they need to work on.”
Junior Jay Houck led the Patriots with an 82, matching his score from a year ago. He shot 42 through his first nine holes, and closed out his round by making par on three of his last four. He said after the round he didn’t putt as well as he would have liked to.
“It’s a concentration thing,” Gray said. “If you make a few then you’ll feel better. That game is so mental. You have to believe in yourself.”
On the 204-yard, par-3 second hole, Houck had an 8-foot uphill par putt miss right by an inch, and he had to tap in for bogey. On the 321-yard, par-4 fourth — his final hole of the day — the junior’s birdie putt from about 18 feet away also stopped to the right of the cup, this time by less than a foot.
“It becomes a confidence thing,” Gray said. “He starts making some putts, it comes down to basic fundamentals.”
Playing from the No. 3 spot, sophomore Collin Haines carded an 84 to finish behind Houck. Haines had two birdies — one on the par-3 10th hole and the other on the par-4 third — and seven pars to improve 11 strokes from sectional and 17 from the same tournament last year.
Like Houck, Haines also had some spells of putts that didn’t fall. He three-putted and had to settle for a double-bogey on the 570-yard, par-5 18th hole. But on the second, his uphill 5-footer saved par.
Kyler Hudson shaved 13 strokes off his total from last season to finish with an 86. The junior made par 10 times, and closed his round with a birdie on the par-4 fifth.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Gray said of Hudson, who Thursday set a new career-low 38 for a nine-hole round. “He wants to succeed. He’s worked hard.”
Graham Haines, the lone senior on the squad, scored an 89 to round out the Patriots’ team score. His only major hiccup was taking a two-stroke penalty for hitting a ball that wasn’t his.
Gray said he had gotten a number of compliments from other players and coaches regarding Haines’ self-imposed penalty, admitting he had done wrong.
“You have to call it on your own,” Gray said. “He did exactly what a golfer should have done. I think that says a lot about the young man.”
Nick Hayden was the Patriots’ No. 5 golfer, and he finished with a 102.