As the temperatures soared this week, the scores for Drew Hensen and the Ankeny boys’ golf team have gone down.
Hensen carded a 2-under-par 69 to earn medalist honors on Thursday while leading the Hawks to a second-place finish in a CIML Conference triangular meet at Copper Creek. He finished one stroke ahead of runner-up Sam Wahman of Southeast Polk in the stifling conditions.
“I definitely don’t prefer extreme heat,” said Hensen. “However, it can be easier (to adapt to) than the cold or rain.”
The Rams shot a 292 on their home course to win the meet. Ankeny finished with a 299 total and defeated crosstown rival Ankeny Centennial, which posted a score of 310.
The Hawks are now 2-2 in the conference.
“It was another great day for Drew and the team,” said Ankeny coach Mike Weddingfeld. “I know they are capable of shooting lower scores and some were still disappointed after their rounds, but they continue to battle and keep improving. The entire team is capable of making birdies; we just need to limit the bogeys.”
The Jaguars dropped to 1-3 in dual competition.
“The overriding theme is we are building toward something,” said Centennial coach Andrew Reedy. “The writing is on the wall that we have to get better to compete. I keep preaching to the guys that we do that one day at a time and use performances we aren’t happy with as teaching moments. We’ll be back at it (Friday) at practice!”
Hensen has been the medalist at all three of his meets this season. He shot a 73 in the Jesse Peck Invitational on Aug. 14 at Briarwood Golf Club, then carded a 70 on Monday in a triangular meet at Beaver Creek.
On Thursday, he made four birdies while shooting a 4-under 32 on the back nine, which he played first. He made back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes.
“I am happy with the way our season has started,” Hensen said. “I also know that our entire team including myself has the potential to shoot far lower scores than we have thus far.”
Hensen was still at 4-under-par through 16 holes before he bogeyed the 8th and 9th holes.
“I know that Drew was disappointed in the three bogeys that he made and especially on the last two holes he played, but he really played another outstanding round,” Weddingfeld said. “He did mention that his putting was not perfect today, but I am really proud of how he has taken control of his game and is off to a great start. The rest of the team played solid as well.”
Kyler Crimmins and Duncan Beelner each carded a 76 for the Hawks. They posted identical splits of 38-38 on the front and back.
Ankeny’s Evan Hodapp shot a 78. Jacob Adams had a 79, and Nick Meyer finished with a 91 in his varsity debut.
“We talked after the round that as long as we keep getting better and lowering our team score then we are successful that day!” Weddingfeld said. “Hats off to Southeast Polk for shooting a great team score. We definitely have some great competition that we will face all year.”
Zach Hoffman carded a 75 to lead the Jaguars. Hoffman, who had three birdies on the day, placed fifth overall.
“Zach again was the senior leader we need,” Reedy said. “The effort is there, and the execution is there a very high percentage of the time. It is just a matter of helping him figure out how to avoid the mistakes that prevent him from giving us the scores we need to compete with the best teams in the state.”
Centennial’s Tate Logan shot a 76. Charlie Morrissey fired a 78, McCoy Miller and Kaden Schulz each had an 81, and Nathan Boehlert finished with an 89.
“It was really good to see Tate bounce back with a solid score after a 10-day stretch where he was struggling and had to face some adversity. I had a feeling after I saw him battle back at Jester Park on Monday that he might have found something,” Reedy said. “McCoy had a bit of a rough day and as a sophomore, he is going to continue to grow and mature in his golf game. He finds himself paired with a lot of upperclassmen in the No. 1 groupings and may try too hard to match them instead of playing his game. He is very talented and works really hard. I’ll continue to try to help him work on the mental side of the game.”
Both teams will be back in action on Monday when they compete in the Joselyn Invitational at the Fort Dodge Country Club. Waukee Northwest is the defending champion.