Columbus North senior golfer Matt Vorndran has been working hard on his putting game and said it came through when he really needed it during Wednesday’s tri match at Harrison Lake.
Vorndran’s even-par 36 earned him a second consecutive medalist honor and helped North post a winning 150 team score. Providence ended 22 strokes behind the Bull Dogs with 172, and Jennings County posted a 190.
“I played pretty well today,” Vorndran said. “My driver was a little bit sloppy, but the thing that saved me was my short game.”
Spencer Fairbanks, Bryce Turner and Drew Smith all shot 38 for the Bull Dogs. Henry Kiel and Zachary Schiavello each shot 40 while Cameron Ziegler added a 47 and Jonathan Ward had a 50.
North assistant coach J.K. Keach said the golfers played better and came out with a little more confidence Wednesday.
“They were able to make fewer mental mistakes,” Keach said. “They stayed away from the big numbers when they got in trouble. They did a good job of getting back in position and staying in the hole. I’m overall happy, proud of them. They’re trending in the right direction, which is important.”
Jennings County coach B.J. Bingham was surprised by the performance of his young Panthers team.
Austin Roscoe led Jennings with a 42, and Justin Gasper was behind him with a 48. Adam Leach posted a 49 while both Bryce Kirchner and Jamson Miller shot 51. Hunter Conrad ended with a 52, Joe Kelley added a 59 and Keagan Beal had a 60.
“I had some kids come in lower than I thought they were going to, seeing them on the golf course,” Bingham said. “My top guys performed about how I expected them to.”
Jennings came into this season with no seniors on the roster. Bingham said he pretty much knows who his No. 1 through 4 golfers are going to be, but after that, it just depends on the day. Bingham is happy with the work ethic and attitude of his golfers and said this is the best score they have had this season.
“We play some superior teams, and that’s fine — it’ll make them better,” Bingham said. “I’m not disappointed. I think as long as we keep improving every day until we get to sectional, I’ll be happy. And hopefully in sectional, we can do something nobody expects us to do.”
