PCM boys finish fourth at state golf tournament

WATERLOO — PCM head boys golf coach Collin Harrison and his four graduating seniors learned and grew together on the golf course the past four seasons.

It wasn’t perfect. The Mustangs had their ups and downs. But the end result for Harrison and the senior class of Easton Van Veen, Jeffery McDanel, Tate Tangeman and Pete Kiernan was a state tournament appearance.

And the foursome, along with junior Charlie Ford and sophomore Parker DeHaai, played well enough at Gates Park Golf Course to bring home some hardware.

“We would have liked to have finished in the top three and brought home a trophy, but getting some hardware was the general goal,” Harrison said. “We weren’t expected or seeded to do that, but our boys played consistent golf over the last two days.”

The Mustangs’ placing in the Class 2A state golf tournament was fourth out of 12 teams.

PCM shot a consistent 319 and 320 for the two rounds. The Mustangs were tied with East Marshall after the first round, but PCM played in the final grouping thanks to a better fifth score.

PCM was two strokes better than East Marshall in the final standings, but Aplington-Parkersburg grabbed the final trophy as the Falcons placed third.

“Every player can think of one or two shots they could have made that would have put us in the top three, but that’s the game with anything,” Harrison said. “I’m just proud of the boys. They showed some grit. It wasn’t easy going to Bos Landen for districts. Getting through a district tournament with five of the top 15 averages in 2A was a grind.”

To no one’s surprise, Columbus Catholic shot 302 and 298 on its home course and won the 2A title with a two-day score of 600.

That was 14 strokes better than Grundy Center, which finished second with a 614. The Spartans shot 309 and 305 for their two rounds.

Aplington-Parkersburg (636) led PCM by one shot after the first day but extended its lead to three in the final standings.

“It’s always frustrating to be that close and not get it,” Harrison said. “Golf is such a game of inches. You can second guess a lot of things on the golf course but so can other teams.”

PCM shot 639 in fourth, East Marshall carded a 641 in fifth and the rest of the 12-team field included Ridge View (648), Panorama (651), Central Lee (654), Carroll Kuemper Catholic (658), Pella Christian (658), Earlham (660) and MMCRU (690).

Panorama dropped one spot from day one to day two, while Central Lee went from tied for seventh after the first round to eighth in the final standings.

“I’m pretty happy with fourth. The guys battled,” McDanel said. “Some of the ones who were struggling continued to battle to get the score we needed. I appreciate them all. I think we all did a great job.”

McDanel led the Mustangs with a pair of 75s. His two-day score of 150 tied for eighth, but he ended up 10th on a card back.

The top eight individuals received medals and recognition after the tournament.

McDanel’s second round included an eagle on the par 5 No. 10 and a birdie on the par 3 No. 4.

He had four birdies on Day 1. He birdied the par 4 No. 1, the par 5 No. 6, the par 5 No. 10 and the par 4 No. 18.

“I played well. Obviously there’s shots I left out there, but there were also some I got that I shouldn’t have,” McDanel said. “I came up short of what I wanted, but it is what it is.”

Ford and Van Veen both turned in two-day scores of 163 and tied for 34th overall.

Van Veen was in a tie for 17th after his first-round score of 78, but he shot 85 on Day 2.

Van Veen birdied the par 5 No. 2 on both days and birdied the par 3 No. 17 on Day 1.

“It was pretty rough out there. I needed to lock in on a couple of holes, and that helped the team in the end,” Van Veen said. “I’m disappointed with how I played individually. I was not good off the tee. There are a lot of trees here, and if you’re not good off the tee, it creates a lot of punch outs and a lot of bogeys.”

Ford was about as consistent over the two days as McDanel was. He turned in a Day 1 score of 82 and had an 81 on Day 2.

Ford was tied for 35th after the first day and placed 36th overall after the card backs. He birdied the par 4 No. 11 on Day 2.

Kiernan’s 86 in the opening round put him tied for 58th after Day 1. But he moved up to 41st overall after shooting a 79 on Wednesday.

“I played a pretty boring round of golf with 11 pars and seven bogeys,” Kiernan said about his final round. “But It felt good to actually hit some greens today.

“We thought we could have done better as a team, but fourth place is not too bad at all.”

Tangeman carded an 84 on Day 1 and then turned in an 86 on Day 2. He went from being tied for 47th after the first round to 55th in the final standings and birdied the par 4 No. 3 on the second day.

DeHaai had non-counting scores both days. He shot 91 and 87 for a two-day score of 178. He birdied the par 3 No. 12 on Day 2.

Kiernan’s 86 on Day 1 and Tangeman’s 86 on Day 2 were the other non-counting scores.

“It went well for the team, but I don’t think I played that well,” Tangeman said. “I’m just glad we medaled as a team. I didn’t perform well under pressure, but playing here at the end of our careers was fun. It was good to end things on a high note.”

West Marshall’s Hunter Polley was the state tournament medalist after posting a two-day score of 140. His single-round scores were 69 and 71.

Grundy Center’s Judd Jirovsky was the runner-up with a 144. He had single-round scores of 75 and 69 and was tied for fifth after Day 1.

Columbus Catholic’s Drew Lindsay tied Jirovsky with a 144 but was third on a card back.

Notes: Van Veen said he plans to play golf at DMACC next season. That’s also where his older brothers Hunter and Grant Van Veen played collegiately. … Tangeman said he plans to play golf at Indian Hills Community College. … East Marshall’s Cody Weaver placed sixth with a two-day score of 147. His second-round score of 72 featured 18 pars. … Nevada’s Parker Rodgers gave the Heart of Iowa Athletic Conference two individual champions after he won the 3A title with a two-day score of 137. He shot 67 on Day 1. … Harrison was grateful the four seniors let them all grow together over the past four seasons. “They were freshmen my first year,” Harrison said. “I’ve had these kids in the suburbans for four years so they’ve kind of become my dudes. It’s going to be sad to lose them. We’ve learned together with me being a first-time golf coach.”