MARSHALLTOWN — Temperature at tee time was 35 degrees. It didn’t get much better during the Linda Bloom Invitational at American Legion Golf Course Thursday.
Newton’s Cardinal girls and the rest of the field in the 18-hole tournament hosted by Marshalltown High School’s Bobcats had to find a way to manage the weather.
“It was cold and blustery the whole tournament. We had a rough time today,” said Scott Enyart, Cardinal girls’ head golf coach. “This is one of those times we have to take as much positive from the experience and move forward.
“It’s always great to hear other coaches comment on how good our kids are. I was proud of our girls’ golf etiquette and sportsmanship all the time. The girls were disappointed with our performances today but they are ready to redeem themselves Monday at the Valley Classic.”
The Cardinals finished with a team total of 406 for ninth place out of 14 teams. Waukee, the defending Class 5A champion, rang up a 345 for the championship. Marshalltown was second at 371 followed by Ottumwa with a 377, Mason City with a 391 and Southeast Polk with a 394.
Ames tied with Des Moines Hoover/Roosevelt for sixth at 399. Grundy Center was eighth at 402, followed by Newton then Ankeny Centennial with a 408. Fort Dodge and Waukee JV tied for 11th with 426s. Norwalk had a 442 and Grinnell had a 461.
Newton travels to West Des Moines Monday for the West Des Moines Valley Classic at Willow Creek Golf Course. Enyart said the Cardinals will again face more Class 5A teams at the Classic.
Jessica Reynolds finished with a 98 (52-46) to lead the Cardinals. Reynolds parred two holes — No. 7 a Par 3 and No. 18 a Par 4 — to help turn things around after a rocky start, Enyart said. The American Legion course is a Par 71 for 18 holes.
Carrie Cunningham had the best start of the day for the Cardinals with a 46 on the back nine holes, carding three pars in her first eight holes played. Cunningham shot a 56 on the front nine for a 102.
Madigan Hillyard (53-50) and Madeline Wellik (52-51) each shot 103 for the day. Shelbey Cochran finished with a 105 (54-51) and Olivia Maharry had a 116 (58-58).
“We had trouble keeping our hands warm. With cold hands, we didn’t have the feel around the greens like we normally do,” Enyart said. “Each of the girls had spots during the day that they played pretty well then other times things didn’t go quite as well.”