JC golfers fall to Delta

ALBANY —The Patriots will be doing pushups in practice.

A rough day on the greens on Tuesday inspired coach Dave Haines to make a rule that every three-putt would result in a requirement to do 10 pushups.

While the team improved upon Tuesday's split with Bluffton and Southern Wells, there were still plenty of pushups earned.

The Jay County High School boys golf team was able to shave 18 strokes off its previous mark of 198 in a losing effort to the Delta Eagles on Wednesday at Albany Golf Club. The 165-180 defeat was scheduled for Monday but was moved because of inclement weather.

No one was impervious to the three-putt rule, including the Patriots’ No. 1 golfer, Caleb DeRome.

The junior struggled to find the cup on hole No. 8. After quickly getting to the green on the 112-yard, par-3 hole, he had to shoot up a slope to get the ball in the hole.

“The wind was blowing really hard downhill,” DeRome said. “Balls wouldn't stop coming back to me and I double parred on that.”

Along with focusing on putts, Haines said he wants the Patriots to get stronger mentally.

“Just still the mental aspect of it and trying to stay positive and not dwell on bad shots they hit,” Haines said. “Just try and forget that and move on to the next shot I think will be an important thing to do.”

While DeRome struggled to get through hole No. 8 without three putting, he was able to successfully move on from it and finish strong.

He started with a strike down the right side of the fairway on the 373-yard, par-4 ninth hole. His second shot left him only a couple feet short of the green. A chip left him three feet beyond the cup, where he putted in for par.

“I just had to move on, put it in the past, forget about it and make a par,” DeRome said. “I just had to capitalize on what I had to work with and I scrounged out a 44.”

He recorded pars on the 346-yard, par-4 second hole, 440-yard, par-5 third, 429-yard, par-5 fifth and 403-yard par-4 seventh in addition to the ninth.

Riley Bratton of Delta, the 2022 sectional runner-up ahead of third-place JCHS and behind champion Yorktown, was the match medalist with a 38.

Both Gage Sims and Cody DeHoff finished at 45, trailing DeRome by a single stroke. The former had four pars while the latter had two.

DeHoff, a freshman, has had a hot start to the season. With his season-best finish on Wednesday, his average score dropped below 50 strokes.

“Just getting the drives straight and chipping helped a lot,” DeHoff said. “I’ve been playing with my dad and trying to relax and stay calm.”

Rounding out the team score for the Patriots (2-2) was Liam Garringer, who shot a 46. He added pars on the second and eighth holes.

Not factoring into the score was Luke Fugiett, who shot a 47.

Delta’s other scores included Jake Bilby (39), Colin McCrady (43) and Will Kile (45).

Overall, Haines was pleased with the team’s improvement and overall performance.

“Everybody was within three strokes… We went from 44 to 47 — that's our top five scores,” Haines said. “Our consistency was there, I'd just like to see them a little bit lower.”