Outlaws have mixed results on the links

The boys golf team earned a second place finish with a team score of 343 at the Shadowhills Golf Tournament in Junction City (JC) on Monday, April 7.

Shadowhills proved to be a difficult course for the Outlaws, and players dealt with wind and intermittent rain the entire round. The course was wet, and players weren't able to get much play on their drives.

Marist won the tourney by 30 strokes, with a score of 311. JC placed third (375), and Cottage Grove took fourth at 377. La Pine was fifth at 416, and Elmira finished with 454.

Jonathan Standen carded an 82 to lead the Outlaws in scoring. Standen shot a 40 on the front nine and a 42 on the back and recorded eight pars in the round.

"My best of the day was hole four (a par three)," said Standen. "I drove it to within six feet but then two-putted out. I didn't play enough break so I missed out on the birdie."

Michael Reeve finished two strokes back with an 84. Cody Farr-Baenzenger shot an 87, Evan Mitchell a 90 and Aaron Simundson rounded out the scoring with an even 100.

Mitchell told The Nugget that everyone on the team played poorly except for Standen.

"Jonathan really had a good round," said Mitchell. "I had a horrible round, and my short game was really bad. I just couldn't make any putts. We're all used to Aspen Lakes' greens which are slower, and here (Shadowhills) they were pretty fast. It took us all a while to get used to them."

Four days later the Outlaws earned a first-place finish at the eight-team tournament held at Aspen Lakes. Sisters finished with a team score of 320. Creswell was 36 strokes back with a 356 for runner-up, and Cottage Grove took third at 359. Madras placed fourth (361), Junction City fifth (373), La Pine sixth (397), and Elmira rounded out the scoring at 437.

Reeve led the Outlaws with a two-under-par 70 for his best round of the year and earned medalist honors for the tournament. Reeve birdied four of the first seven holes in the round.

The remaining four Outlaw golfers all turned in solid performances and finished within five strokes of each other. Jonathan Standen carded an 82, Mitchell an 83, Farr-Baenzinger an 85 and Simundson an 87 for his best round of the year.

"I think all the guys felt that they left some shots on the course, but all in all we played well," said coach Jeff Barton.