PCM boys finish eighth, Newton 11th at loaded Washington Invitational

RIVERSIDE — The Washington Invitational featured seven golf programs who currently rank in the top 15 of their class in 18-hole average.

That group includes the PCM boys golf team, and the Mustangs were eighth in an 18-team field at the par 72 Blue Top Ridge at Riverside on Monday.

Newton’s Jackson Price led all area golfers and finished seventh overall with a 79, but both the Mustangs and Cardinals had a golfer designated as junior varsity near the top of their lineups.

“We had a long day on big greens with a large field and quite a few solid teams,” Newton head boys golf coach Pat Riley said. “It was a great course to test our abilities and resolve. We have to start ramping this thing up or our season will be over in a blink of an eye.”

Waverly-Shell Rock, which has the fifth-best 18-hole average in Class 3A, won the tournament with a 308.

The rest of the top five featured Clear Lake (315), Gilbert (317), Pella Christian (326) and Pella (329). All four of those programs are currently in the top 14 in their classes.

The next five featured Washington (334), Oskaloosa (338), PCM (339), Pleasantville (340) and Albia (340).

Newton led the next group with a 345. The rest of the 18-team field included Mediapolis (352), Fairfield (372), Mount Pleasant (373), Moravia (401), New London (419), Danville (425) and Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (436).

This meet will count as the third Little Hawkeye Conference tournament. There is one tournament left to complete the regular-season tally and that will take place at Westwood Golf Course on Monday.

Price is in a three-way tie for second after three rounds. He’s joined by Pella Christian’s Deacon Branderhorst and Eliot Menninga at 235 after 54 holes.

The trio trails Pella’s Kyler Besick, whose 229 is six strokes in front of the group.

“(Price) had a good day,” Riley said. “He really had only two bad holes. He finished seventh overall out of 115 or so kids. We have three more meets before sectionals, where there is no tomorrow.”

The other scoring golfers for Newton included Lincoln Peterson (86), Mason Smith (90) and Lane Rozendaal (90). Peyton Rozendaal (96) and Carter Forst (96) had non-counting scores and Ethan Pageler shot an 86 as a JV player.

PCM’s top scorer was a JV player, too. Parker DeHaai carded an 82, but PCM’s four scoring golfers were Pete Kiernan (83), Charlie Ford (85), Easton Van Veen (85) and Jeffery McDanel (86).

Tate Tangeman (88) and Trent Nickelson (97) had non-counting scores.

Luke Frazell of Waverly-Shell Rock won medalist honors Monday with a 71 and Clear Lake’s Cade Dillavou was the runner-up with a 73.

All-conference honors for the LHC go to the top 12 finishers after 72 holes. The first four are first-teamers, the next four earn second-team recognition and the final four in the top 12 are honorable mention.