Boys golf: Ottumwa wins Iowa Alliance triangular opener
OTTUMWA — The next shot is the most important shot.
Ottumwa head boys golf coach Kyle Creamer wants his players to remember that. On Tuesday, the Bulldogs did a better job of executing the next shot even if meant scrambling to recover after the previous shot went somewhat wayward.
"It's absolutely all about understanding that you're not going to hit the perfect shot every time," Creamer said. "You have to understand that and move on. If you dwell on a shot you might have hit before, you're not going to get any better."
Ottumwa showcased that 'next shot' mentality successfully in their first home meet of the season. Paced by an even-par front nine by Tate Harness, the Bulldogs posted a team score of 156 to win an Iowa Alliance Conference south division triangular beating Des Moines Roosevelt by 13 strokes and Des Moines East by 81 shots.
"It's all about positivity," Creamer said. "If you have any negative thoughts, it's not going to go well. It's all about positive thoughts and it's all about moving forward."
Harness nearly broke par on the front side of the Ottumwa Golf and Social Club, settling for an even-par 35 after scrambling for a bogey on the eighth hole after driving a three-wood behind a tree and hitting a snap hook on the attempted recovery. Harness, however, wouldn't have had a chance to save an under-par front side if not for a clutch par save on the fifth hole chipping in from the fringe after initially sending a drive off to the right onto the fourth fairway.
"That was a pretty clutch shot to make," Harness said of par-saving chip. "I just hit a huge slice off the tee and chucked my second shot. The third shot, I kind of bladed it over the green. To make that fourth shot was more of a big relief."
Harness led Ottumwa for the first time this season, topping Bulldog senior teammate Stephen Brinegar for meet medalist honors. Brinegar posted a round of 38, showcasing some scrambling skills of his own after coming up short on his approach shot on the ninth hole chipping within seven feet of the hole before sinking the saving par putt.
"My chipping overall wasn't great. I just duffed a lot of chips and my approach shots were really bad," Brinegar said. "I was happy to finish out with a much better shot. It just seemed like, for most of the day, I just wasn't hitting anything good from 125 yards and in."
Roosevelt teammates Finley Newman and Hudson Kelley both posted rounds of 40 while Will Anderson added a round of 41 to give the Roughriders a chance had the rest of the Bulldogs failed to keep up with Harness and Brinegar. Tucker Long, in just his second varsity start for the Ottumwa boys golf team, posted his first top-five finish by matching Anderson with a round of 41 including a long par putt made on the fifth while Ethan Reynolds added a round of 42 to clinch the triangular win for the Bulldogs.
"It's all about how you approach stuff and how you think about it," Reynolds said. "You've got to come at it with a positive attitude. I think I've made quite a big improvement. At the end of the day, this is my home course, so I took advantage of it and came out with a good score."
Ottumwa (2-0, 2-0 Iowa Alliance) returns to the course on Thursday morning to compete at the Waukee Northwest Invitational. Action at the Legacy Golf Club in Norwalk gets underway at 10 a.m.
