The Emerald Valley Golf Course in Creswell took its toll on the field in the OSAA boys 4A state golf tournament Tuesday, May 18. but Sweet Home’s two competitors were among the few who improved their scores from the first day.
Jake Riggs shot an 88 on Day Two, after shooting 90 the first day, to finish 54th in the field of 90 golfers. Mike Fontenot shot 99, after an opening-round 105, to finish 82nd.
“It was a hard golf course,” Coach Tom Horn said. “It was probably as difficult as we’ve played all year. The scores were all high.”
Individual medalist Austin Landis, a junior from Gladstone, the winner by two strokes, finished with a 6-over 73-77-150 for the tournament. Horn noted that last year’s winner at Quail Valley shot 6-under.
He said Riggs played “better than his average for the year.”
“He’s one of the few guys who really played better the second day than the first. He played hard.”
Riggs was disappointed with a couple of bogeys on the final holes that kept him from getting the 85 or 86 that Horn said he was capable of.
“He let some slip away,” Horn said, “But I felt pretty good about the way Jake played.”
Fontenot, a sophomore, struggled throughout the tournament because the course made it difficult for those incapable of long drives.
“The course was too long and too hard for Mike,” Horn said. “It was a fairly tight golf course. But Mike did get to the tournament, and that’s something he can build on for next year.”
Newport’s Tom Graves was the top finisher from the Val-Co League, shooting 78-83-161 to finish tied for 13th after finishing the first day tied for fourth.
Marist won the team championship, shooting a two-day total of 641, while Newport was the top team from the Val-Co, shooting 723 to finish 11th.