Price’s 76 leads Newton boys golf team at Oskaloosa Invitational

OSKALOOSA — Jackson Price finished in the top 10, but the Newton boys golf team was ninth as a team at the Oskaloosa Invitational on Tuesday.

The Cardinals shot 330 for the day at Edmundson Golf Course. That was better than Winterset (336), Fort Madison (342), Mount Pleasant (343), Fairfield (353), Clear Creek-Amana (354) and the Oskaloosa JV (395) in the 15-team field.

“We started slow, rallied in the middle then finished poorly,” Newton head boys golf coach Pat Riley said. “We have all the pieces to be good. The problem is I never know who to take. I need to find a way to show these guys they can still play well even when they are not striking the ball well.”

Pella Christian won the meet championship with a 303. The rest of the top five included Pella (312), Grinnell (314), Williamsburg (315) and Nevada (317). Oskaloosa (320), Washington (326) and Sigourney (328) completed the field.

Price finished 10th overall with a 76. The other scoring golfers for Newton were Peyton Rozendaal (82), Mason Smith (86) and Carter Forst (86). Ethan Pageler (87) and Lincoln Peterson (92) turned in non-counting scores.

“It’s a confidence thing and an ability to adjust mid-round to compensate for poor ball striking,” Riley said. “We have two weeks to fine tune and then there are no more chances. We have to get it done when it counts.”

Pella Christian placed three golfers in the top seven. Deacon Branderhorst was the meet medalist with a 71. Nevada’s Parker Rodgers was the runner-up with a 71.

Postseason assignments released by IHSAA

The Cardinals will play their sectional tournament at Pine Knolls Golf Course at 10 a.m. on May 14 in Knoxville. The district tournament is May 19 in Waverly.

Joining Newton at Pine Knolls for sectionals will be host Knoxville, Carlisle, Centerville, Chariton, Fairfield, Oskaloosa and Pella.