BEDFORD — While a lot of golfers struggled getting a feel for the speed of the greens Saturday, Columbus North junior Jared Imlay had a good read of them right from the start.
That helped propel Imlay to a tie for third place individually with a round of 76 in the Bedford North Lawrence Invitational at Otis Park. The Bull Dogs, who sent most of their top golfers to the Rochester Invitational, finished 15th as a team.
“I had some really good chips and made a lot of big putts today,” Imlay said. “We have been practicing on our short putts less than five or six feet. I kept everything as smooth as possible. Another big thing that helped me, too, is I stayed relaxed.”
Imlay tied for third along with Ian Bailey of Bloomington North and Kevin Crone of Providence who both shot 76. Eric Brinker of Evansville North had the low round of the day with a 74. Joe Weiler of Bloomington South finished second with a 75.
Bloomington South captured the team title with a 309. Evansville North was second with a 312 and Bedford North Lawrence finished third with a 318.
Columbus East placed eighth with a 333. Austin Proffitt had the low round for the Olympians with an 80. Adam Krebs shot 81, Chris Jurrema carded an 85. Zach Sutton added an 87 and Derek Alexander finished with a 90.
“There were times I landed the ball in front of the green, and it completely rolled all the way off. I think as a team, it was one of our biggest struggles today,” Alexander said.
“Hopefully, we can learn some things with green speeds to put ourselves in a better position in the future,” East coach Tom LaBarbera said.
“We just have to continue to keep working real hard because it is only going to get tougher the rest of the season.”
Imlay’s Bull Dog teammates did not fare as well, and North finished with a 365 team total. Connor Opalka carded an 86, while Devin Abendroth scored a 100, Alex Rivera added a 103 and Jackson Swain had a 106.
“Jared was one of the highlights for us as he has improved a lot this season,” said North assistant coach Kevin Sasena, who filled in for head coach Doug Bieker.
“He looked calm and collected out there, and nothing shook him up today. It was also a good learning experience for our younger guys on the team because for a couple of them, it is their first time out playing in a big meet like this, so it helps them get the experience they need to face some tough competition in the season.”
Jennings County finished 13th with a 358. Ian Donnell led the Panthers with an 82, while Jake Simmons shot 86, Garrett Day carded a 91. Bailey Wilder finished with a 99 and John Kelley had a 110.
“It was about an average performance for us as a team,” Jennings coach Gary Yeager said. “The greens were playing pretty fast, but our guys played to about their potential.”
Seymour finished 11th with a 347. Brady Marshall led the Owls with an 81, while Keaton Simpson shot 85. Tyler Bullard scored a 90, Ethan Ashley carded a 91 and Noah Beaty finished with a 133.
