Season-best score helps Newton boys climb conference standings

A change to his putter may not have been necessary, but Jackson Price felt like he left way too many shots on the green during the Gilbert Invitational last weekend.

Price shot a 76 despite two putting most of his holes that day, but he was even better on his home course during the final round of the Little Hawkeye Conference tournament on Monday.

The Cardinal sophomore set a new career-best score at the par 71 Westwood Golf Course and his 3-under-par 68 catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard after 72 holes.

“I made a putter change after Saturday’s meet because I felt like I left so much out there with the putter,” Price said. “The driver was probably working as well as it could have and with that you get better opportunities to hit greens. I think it was just all clicking today.”

Price started the day in a three-way tie for second and that group was six shots back of Pella’s Kyler Besick.

But his best-ever 18-hole prep round pushed him to the front after Besick shot a final-round 77.

It was a strong day for the Cardinals in general as they fired a season-best 310 and finished second behind conference champion Pella Christian.

The Eagles shot 307 on Monday and were 24 shots in front of Pella after the final numbers were tallied. They won the LHC title by 33 strokes last season.

Newton’s final round propelled it past Oskaloosa in the final standings. The Dutch (318) and Indians (343) were third and fourth, respectively, on Monday.

“We had another great day on the links,” Newton head boys golf coach Pat Riley said. “I’m really proud of how this team has stepped up these last two meets. They’re showing me what I always believed they were capable of.”

Price opened his final round with three straight birdies and those held up the rest of the way. He won the conference championship with a four-round score of 303.

Price, who finished sixth in the conference last season, was the only golfer in the field who posted four rounds in the 70s.

“It obviously helped that it was my home course, and I do believe there’s a little bit of an advantage on how to approach each hole,” Price said. “It’s a huge confidence booster. The schedule being set up with the last regular season meet at Westwood is very beneficial for me.”

Peyton Rozendaal posted a career-best 76 and was third overall on Monday. Lane Rozendaal and Mason Smith carded 83s for the final counting scores.

Carter Forst (92) and Lincoln Peterson (96) had non-counting scores.

Riley was using the Cardinals’ final two regular season meets to determine his varsity lineup for sectionals on Wednesday.

And five Cardinals went under 90 at the junior varsity level. That group was led by Ethan Pageler’s 85.

Newton’s 310 was 22 strokes better than last year’s round at Westwood.

“Our team is firing on all cylinders right now,” Riley said. “I really hope we can carry this into sectionals.”

Last year’s LHC champion, Eliot Menninga of Pella Christian, was the runner-up medalist with a 72 on Monday. He finished one stroke back of Besick, who ended up with a 306 after a final-round 77.

Pella Christian and Pella grabbed 10 of the 12 all-conference spots. The top four finishers are first-teamers, the next four are second-teamers and the final four earn honorable mention recognition.

Pella Christian’s four-round score was 1,253 and Pella was the runner-up with a 1,277. Newton shot 1,347 in third and Oskaloosa (1,371) placed fourth.