Boys' Golf: Rams secure impressive silver at HOIC meet

By BRANDON HURLEY

Sports Editor
sports@beeherald.com

STATE CENTER - The season reached a crescendo at the perfect time.

The Greene County boys’ golf team fired off their best 18-hole team score of the spring May 4, resulting in a runner-up finish at the Heart of Iowa Conference tournament in State Center.
The Rams carded a total score of 345, earning a tie with Nevada, thanks to four rounds under the 90 stroke mark.

PCM came away with the team title, tallying a score of 334 at the Lincoln Valley Golf Course, home of the West Marshall Trojans.
Nineteenth-ranked PCM (Class 2A) placed two golfers in the top three individually, anchored by runner-up Andrew Mitchell (79) and bronze-medalist Gallin Boell (80).

West Marshall (354) and Roland-Story (360) rounded out the top five while South Hamilton (370) and Saydel (413) seventh and eighth, respectively.
Greene County’s Joe Carey carded a career-low 82, which earned him a fourth-place overall finish. The junior carded a 42 on the front nine, recovering from a double bogey on the 387-yard fifth hole to turn in a birdie on the 463-yard, par 5 seventh hole. Carey pared five of his last seven holes before double-bogeying the first hole, which was his final hole of the round after beginning on hole two. Carey anchored his top five day with a single birdie and seven pars.

Greene County’s Kole Teeples carded a career-low 85 Tuesday to slide inside the top 10, finishing ninth overall, tied with West Marshall’s Joey Tollefson.

Teeples turned in a brilliant 41 on the back nine and followed it up with a 44 on the front. Teeples carded a birdie on the par 3 hole 13 along with five pars.
Nevada’s Caden Jones captured the individual conference championship, carding a 75, four strokes in front of the silver medalist thanks to a back nine score of 36, which was just one over par. Jones also turned in a 39 on the front nine, just two over, the only athlete in the entire field to score in the 30s on both nines.

Greene County was powered by four golfers in the top 15, as both Jack Hansen and Nathan Behne shot matching 89s to finish tied for 14th. PCM was the only other school in attendance to place all four of their golfers in the top 15, as Grant Van Veen placed 11th (86) and Brayden Berger also tied for 14th.

“I am so proud of the boys and their play,” Greene County head coach Heath Telleen said. “We hope to build on this momentum for Thursday’s tournament in Jewell. I know we have some lower scores in us.”

RAMS WIN TITLE IN DAYTON

Last week’s silver medal came on the heels of Greene County’s first tournament victory of the year, a narrow, five-stroke victory at the Southeast Valley Invite April 30 in Dayton. Sawyer Schiltz carried the Rams with a medalist-winning round of 41 while freshman Jack Hansen placed third with a 45.

Ogden placed second as a team with a total score of 187 thanks to individual silver medalist Cooper Carson (42) while Greene County secured victory with a winning score of 182.

Telleen was thrilled with the triumph, encouraged by how well his guys played at a difficult venue such as the Dayton Golf and Country Club. The coach knew something special was brewing, and the Rams rewarded him.

“(Dayton is) always the toughest course we play each year. There is no room for a missed shot on many of the holes,” Telleen said. “It was looking like we might finish second until the two freshmen brought their scores into the clubhouse. It was a fun night.”

Greene County will tee-off in a Class 3A sectional meet Friday, May 14 in Atlantic along with schools from ADM, Carroll, Denison-Schleswig, Glenwood, Harlan, Perry and Atlantic.

The 3A district tournament will be held the following Thursday, May 20 at the Landsmeer Golf Club in Orange City.