Senior Kinnick Nelson shot a 73 to lead the Ankeny Centennial boys’ golf team to a sixth-place finish in the Jesse Peck Invitational on Wednesday at Briarwood Golf Club. He tied for 14th place overall.
Nelson is one of four returning varsity regulars this season for Centennial coach Andrew Reedy. He posted a 40.7 average for nine holes as a junior.
Here is some inside info on Nelson:
How do you think you played on Wednesday?
I felt like I played well with significant improvement in my putting from last Monday.
Coach Reedy said that you were able to post a good score without your “A” game. Which parts of your game did you struggle with?
I struggled with capitalizing on the holes I felt gave me the best chance for birdie, like the par-5s. I couldn’t keep the ball in the fairway.
He also told me that you’ve been fighting some putting woes. Are you having trouble reading the greens, or is it more a matter of executing your putts?
During the round at Glen Oaks Country Club last Monday, I missed several short putts where I was failing to start my ball on line. On Tuesday, before the Jesse Peck Invitational, coach Reedy had me doing a couple putting drills that gave me much-needed confidence for Wednesday.
What did you think of your team’s performance at the Peck Invitational?
We played well as a team, but we just need to clean up our double and triple bogeys in the future, which will allow us to compete with the best teams.
There were three teams–Norwalk, Dallas Center-Grimes and Southeast Polk–that finished at under par. Were you surprised by any of those scores?
I mean, not really. There are a lot of great golfers and Briarwood closed its two hardest holes (due to flooding), so I knew we needed several people under par to compete.
Your team opened the season two days earlier with a 12th-place finish in the Warrior Invitational. Do you think some of your new varsity golfers had some nerves that day?
Talking with a couple of my teammates, they said that they started off a little shaky, but really were able to finish strong on the last couple holes, which says a lot about our team’s future.
You carded a 78 on the Glen Oaks course, but were disqualified after not turning in your scorecard. Was that just a mental lapse?
Yeah, it was a bad mental mistake that sadly cost us eight strokes.
Goals for this season?
Ultimately, the main goal is for the team to make state. Individually, I would like to contribute in every tournament going forward.
Would you like to play golf in college? Have you looked at any schools?
I have talked with coach Reedy and some other guys about playing college golf, but haven’t really reached out to any schools.
Do you know what you want to study?
Right now, I have interest in going to college for finance or business, but could easily change as the school year progresses.
I assume you were probably named after Nile Kinnick. Are your parents big Hawkeye fans, and if so, did you inherit their love of the black and gold?
Yes, I am a big Iowa fan and even use an Iowa ball marker when I play in tournaments.