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BRIGGS WOODS WINS: WIND MAKES COURSE A BEAR DURING LYNX INVITE

Lyons 2nd with an 81, pushes Lynx into 2nd behind Class 3A?power Gilbert

Webster City’s Drew Schwering watches his drive off the par-4 fifth hole at Briggs Woods Golf Course during yesterday’s Lynx Invite. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

WEBSTER CITY — Sometimes golfers can chew up a course and then spit it out. And sometimes, particularly when the wind is howling and the teeth are chattering, it’s the course’s turn to take a bite out of the players.

Briggs Woods Golf Course — a 6,171-yard, par-72 challenge, to say the least — had to be mighty full by the time it was done with the field at Thursday’s Lynx Invite.

With the wind whipping out of the north, at times in excess of 25 mph, the 18-hole layout played a few ticks above difficult and perhaps a skosh below impossible, particularly the holes directly into the teeth of the gusts.

The result was just one score in the 70s and plenty of players and teams just happy to survive the 4-plus hour round.

“That course plays pretty hard when the wind is out of the north like that,” WCHS head coach Eric Dawson said after his squad fired a 348 to finish second in the field of seven teams. “It was tough because it was colder than you think. Going in, we thought if we could finish second we’d be happy, so I was just glad we hung in there and beat those other teams.”

Trey Lyons hits his approach shot into the 13th green at Briggs Woods Golf Course yesterday. He shot an 81 to place second and lead WCHS. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Gilbert, one of the favorites to win the Class 3A state title this spring, claimed the team title despite the absence of No. 1 player Brock Snyder due to a back ailment. The Tigers had four of the five top individual scores, including the champion, and posted a 324 to win comfortably.

Clear Lake (360) was third, followed by Nevada (368) and Ballard (374).

Gilbert’s Joey Currans was the only player to post a sub-80 round. His 78 was three shots better than runner-up and WCHS senior Trey Lyons (81), as well as third-place finisher Spencer Clatt (81), also of Gilbert. Lyons earned the second-place position on a cardback.

“Those kids from Gilbert can all shoot in the 70s,” Dawson said. “Trey played fabulous to shoot an 81.”

Consistency was key for Lyons, who fired a 41 on the hilly front and a 40 on the tighter back. A double-bogey 7 on the par-5 first hole — one of the obstacles straight into the wind — was his only real hiccup, but he was able to birdie the par-5 12th when the wind was at his back. He also strung together four consecutive pars to finish off his front 9.

Garrett Arnold kicks up the dirt as he hits out of the rough on the second hole at Briggs Woods Golf Course yesterday. He shot an 86. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

“Some of the better players, it seemed like all of them had an 8 or a 9 on their card, but Trey stayed away from the snowman,” Dawson said. “He really did a nice job of keeping it in the fairway.”

Garrett Arnold, who stepped into the No. 1 role for the Lynx, fired an 86. He struggled on the front, but closed with a 41 on the back, a stretch that also included a birdie at No. 12.

Beau Klaver’s 90 included six pars and a birdie, also at No. 12. Drew Schwering added a 91, highlighted by his eagle-3 at the 12th.

The Lynx four scorers played the 464-yard, par-5 12th hole at 5-under par.

Not bad.

WCHS junior Beau Klaver (center) surveys the course as his playing partner, Ballard’s Andrew Princehouse (right), thinks about hitting his second shot out of the pond that sits in front of the 11th tee box during yesterday’s Lynx Invite at Briggs Woods Golf Course. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Currans was one of only two players to shoot in the 30s on the front side, as he birdied the par-5 fourth en route to a 38. Clear Lake’s Easton DeVries also shot a 38 on the front, but struggled to a 46 on the back. DeVries (84) was one of several players forced to hit out of the pond that guards the front of the 11th tee box.

WCHS also entered two additional teams into the field. The Gold team fired a 384 and was led by Jayce Abens (93) and Tyler Olson (94). The Purple squad carded a 426 and was led by Braylon Plain’s 102.

But the real winner on the day was Briggs Woods. Players averaged a 46.48 on the front and a 49.40 on the back. The 400-yard, par-4 ninth played to a nearly double-bogey average, only slightly more difficult than the 391-yard, par-4 13th that played the second toughest.

The Lynx will head to Carroll on Saturday for the Kuemper Invite, their final tune-up prior to Monday’s North Central Conference tournament at the Fort Dodge Country Club. And while Dawson was satisfied with yesterday’s performance, he says his team will have to be better if it wants to follow up its league regular season title with a championship at the NCC tournament.

“We have to get better for Monday,” he said. “Saturday will be a real test at Carroll and there are going to be a lot of good teams there. These are just great meets for us because the ultimate goal is to win the conference tournament like we did the duals.”

WCHS junior Devon Stoakes goes for the green with his second shot at the par-4 ninth hole during yesterday’s Lynx Invite at Briggs Woods. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Lynx Invite

Thursday at Briggs Woods GC

Webster City

Team Standings

1. Gilbert 324; 2. Webster City 348; 3. Clear Lake 360; 4. Nevada 368; 5. Ballard 374; 6. Webster City Gold 384; 7. Webster City Purple 426.

Individual Leaderboard

1. Joey Currans (G) 78; 2. Trey Lyons (WC); 3. Spencer Clatt (G) 81; 4. Sawyer Hansen (G) 82; 5. Bryce Malchow (G) 83.

Webster City Results

Trey Lyons 81, Garrett Arnold 86, Beau Klaver 90, Drew Schwering 91, Chase Rattenborg 95, Devon Stoakes 96.

Webster City Gold Results

Jayce Abens 93, Tyler Olson 94, Trevyn Lyons 98, Braden Doering 99, Brandon Lahr 105, Trey Shannon 108.

Webster City Purple Results

Braylon Plain 102, Jack Larson 104, Kaleb White 110, Josh Stansfield 110, Colten Wood 112, Briar Klaver 113.

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