WEST ALEXANDRIA — Over the past couple of weeks, Twin Valley South’s boys golf team has shown steady improvement.
The Panther have gone 3-3 over in that span.
On Wednesday, Sept. 5, Willie Bowman shot a 42 to lead the Panthers, but South came up seven shots shy of host Arcanum at Beechwood Golf Course, 183-190.
“We came really close again to getting a win. I told the guys on our way home, that if each of them could have shaved just two strokes off of their score, we come out on top; that’s how close we are to winning these recent matches,” South coach Darcy Robinson said. “We had three guys score in the 40’s today; once we can get a fourth player to consistently score in the 40’s as well, we’ll start winning the close ones. If we happen to get Nate back, then it’s going to be a whole new ball game! We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
Conner Bradley shot a 47 and Chance Parks shot a 48. Steve Bowman (53) and Jacob Clark (65) rounded out the scoring for South.
On Sept. 4, South played a challenging Lakeland Golf Course as they fell to host Miami East 183-198.
”Their course is quite challenging, with maybe one green that is not obstructed by significant water or sand. I know every one of my guys would say they could have played better today, but our scores, from top to bottom, were pretty solid,” Robinson said. “We’re still playing without Nathan, so on courses like we had today, it’s tough for this group to score much better, as a team. The 198 we scored today, even though we lost, was far better than the 231 that brought us a win last week. If we can continue to shave points off of our scores, then we’re headed in the right direction. We’ve still got a lot of golf to play, between now and the end of the season, so hopefully we’ll just keep getting better each time we play.”
Willie Bowman led the way with a 46. He was followed by Parks (49), Bradley (51), Steve Bitner (52) and Clark 962).
On Aug. 29, South edged Franklin-Monroe, 231-233.
”Nate Osborn is still out with his wrist injury, and we shut Chance Parks down with an upper back injury,” Robinson said. Fortunately, we were able to come away with a 2-stroke victory, 231-233. Willie Bowman had his usual great round of golf, but the real key today, was the play of Jacob Clark. This, being the first year he’s ever played golf, he’s still working on becoming competitive, score-wise. Well today, we were forced to have to count his score, and he came through with his best performance of the season so far. And Turtle Creek is definitely not an easy course, so he handled the pressure pretty well.
Willie Bowman shot a 47 to lead all scorers. He was followed by Bitner (55), Bradley (60) and Clark (69).
On Aug. 28, South played a tri-match with Dixie and Middletown Christian. South fell to MCHS, 181-201 and beat Dixie 201-208.
”It was definitely not our best golf, but we managed to come away with a win against one of the two teams. Middletown Christian is a real solid team, with all of their guys shooting in the 40’s,” Robinson said. “Right now, we’re getting real steady performances from Willie and Chance; we just need the other guys to be more consistent, which is very hard to do in the game of golf! We are still headed in the right direction, as far as improvement goes, but hopefully we’ll continue to knock strokes off of our scores as the season progresses.”
Willie Bowman fired a 45 to lead all-players. Parks shot a 48. Bradley fired a 53 and Bitner shot a 55. Clark finished his round with a 73.
8/27
On Aug. 27, South defeated Bethel 179-238.
“That course is always a confidence-builder. It’s basically a wide-open field with some tee boxes and greens. Our goal was for every one of our players to beat their guy, and they did. It was a great way to start off the week,” Robinson said.
Willie Bowman was medalist with a 38. Parks shot a 43, while Bitner and Bradley each shot 49. Clark rounded out the scoring with a 68.
The Panthers were scheduled to play Mississinawa Valley on Monday, Sept. 10 and Bradford on Wednesday. They will visit Tri-County North on Thursday to close out the week.
