Snow day

Maddy Snow has the most experience among the Patriots on the golf course.

Her play proved it, as she earned match medalist honors and lifted the Patriots to second place.

Snow’s match-low of 45 strokes led Jay County High School’s girls golf team to second place with a team score of 239 in a tri-match against Monroe Central and Allen County Athletic Conference-rival Bluffton on Monday at Portland Golf Club.

The Bluffton Tigers won the match with 211 strokes while Monroe Central          finished with 245 for third-place.

The Patriots  got their first win of the season by finishing ahead of the Golden Bears and are now 1-4 overall 0-4 ACAC).

“I'm really happy with that because the girls were happy when they found out we took second,” coach Marvin Buckner said. “Second is better than third.”

Snow built her score by staying consistent, slowing down her pace, and getting better chips than she had seen earlier in the season. She recorded a par or bogey on seven of nine holes. On the third hole, she hit her ball too far left resulting in a penalty stroke, costing her to finish with a double bogey.

The next few holes she focused on hitting straighter off the tee.

“I focused on straightening out my drives and that helped,” Snow said. “I think all the shots just came together and they all worked. I didn't have a bad shot on any of those holes right there in that strip.”

She parred the next two holes and bogeyed the following three.

The highlight of her match came on hole No. 5.

She had a solid drive on the 349-yard, par-4, and her second shot left her near the green with a chance to birdie. She had another good chip that left her ball next to the hole before she tapped in for par.

Snow edged out Bluffton’s Emma Schwartz by one stroke to finish as the match medalist.

“(Snow) didn't hurry herself,” Buckner said. “Plus, she’s determined to play well. She really has the mindset to be a great golfer.”

Freshman Brooklyn Zimmerman found herself in the scoring column for the first time this season. She had the Patriots’ second-best score of 64. Her two best holes were the fourth and sixth, where she had double bogeys.

Brooklynn Bright and Meah Devoe both shot 65s to round out the team score. Bright was the only Patriot other than Snow to have a par when she finished off the 113-yard second hole in only three strokes.

Whitney McIntire’s score of 69 did not contribute to the team score.

During the match, the golfers had to deal with temperatures as high as 90 degrees, creating playing conditions many of the Patriots’ newer golfers haven’t seen before.

“The other girls are still learning. I think the heat got to them,” Buckner said. “For the conditions we played in today, the heat, I think your girls handled it real.”