Monday’s Steve Spray Invitational at the Indianola Country Club may have been a turning point for the Ankeny boys’ golf team.
The 15th-ranked Hawks shot a 301 and placed second in the eight-team field after winning a tiebreaker against three other squads. No. 12 Dallas Center-Grimes, Ottumwa and Indianola also finished at 301, but Ankeny took the runner-up spot based on a better fifth score.
“I was very pleased with today,” said Ankeny coach Mike Weddingfeld. “Getting five scores in the 70s was key for us and to finally win a tiebreaker was huge in order to finish in second place. That shows the importance of all six guys on the team.”
No. 6 Southeast Polk posted a 285 total to easily defend its title. Carter Pearson fired a 4-under-par 67 to lead the Rams, earning medalist honors by four strokes over Jackson Buchanan of Indianola.
Ankeny’s Duncan Beelner placed 11th with a 74. Gavin Ross and Caden Weddingfeld each shot a 75, finishing 13th and 15th, respectively.
Evan Hodapp and Ryan Constable each shot a 77 for the Hawks. Breck Hughes added an 83.
“The entire team battled,” Weddingfeld said. “All six guys on varsity had some hiccups during their rounds, but no one gave up and all turned in very respectable scores. Duncan and Ryan had never played the course before so that made it extra challenging for them as the Indianola Country Club has some tricky holes and being familiar with the course is a benefit. Mentally, I think we are making huge strides and we are figuring out how to deal with a bad shot or a bad hole and getting better at focusing on the next shot and not the last.
“I am proud of all the guys today, including the JV as many of them had not played there before either and they handled a tough course well not giving up after some challenging individual hole scores,” he added.
The Hawks will compete in the Southeast Polk Invitational on Wednesday at Copper Creek.