March 29, 2024

Cardinal girls’ golf second at South Tama

TAMA — Playing focused no matter the conditions is a lesson learned by Newton High’s Cardinal girls Saturday in the South Tama Girls’ Golf Invitational. On a cold, blustery day, the Cardinals came up two strokes behind Nevada in the team standings.

“Our girls had great attitudes, and I’m proud of how they kept fighting through the elements,” Newton head coach Scott Enyart said. “Our experienced players did a good job of maintaining their focus and our younger players learned how important it is to put our best effort into every shot. It’s a lesson we’ll carry going forward.”

Newton finished second with a combined four-player score of 399 while Nevada came in at 397. Vinton-Shellsburg finished third with a 401 followed by Benton at 424, Grinnell at 431 and host South Tama had a 445.

The Cardinals were led by senior Jessica Reynolds, who finished in a tie for first with Nevada’s Claire Ausman. Each golfer shot an 86 with identical rounds of 42 and 44. Ausman won the scorecard tiebreaker for the medalist honors. Reynolds took runner-up medalist.

Reynolds recorded two birdies in the 18-hole tournament. Enyart said she nailed a four-foot putt to birdie the par-4 No. 6 whole and chipped in for a birdie on the No. 5 hole the second time around the Tama Toledo Country Club golf course.

Newton placed three in the top 10 individual medalist spots. Senior Emily Fitzgerald had a tough start with a round of 52, but bounced back for a 48 for a total of 100 for ninth place. Jessie Smith, another senior, had a 104 (50-54) to finish 10th.

Junior Lizzy Coyle shot a 109 (54-55) for the final team score for the Cardinals. Sophomore Alayna Reynolds had a 110 (53-57) and sophomore Taylor Dydell carded a 111 (54-57).

It was the final regular-season competition for the Cardinals. They prepare for the Class 4A Region 2 tournament on May 23.

Newton hosts the 4A regional at Westwood Golf Course. Other teams in the regional are Bondurant-Farrar, Ballard, Carlisle, Dallas Center-Grimes, Fairfield, Knoxille, Norwalk, Pella, Perry and Winterset. Teams tee off at 10 a.m.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com