Cobb’s 108 helps Pioneer finished 3rd at uniquely formatted Winamac Invite

Caston finishes 6th, Winamac 7th

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

WINAMAC — The North Judson girls golf team shot a 420 to win the 10-team Winamac Invitational at Moss Creek Golf Club Tuesday.

Among area teams, Pioneer was third with a 450, Caston was sixth with a 477, and Winamac was seventh with a 479.

Grace Cobb led Pioneer with a 108, Ali Tribbett had a 117, Kassandra Martinez had a 118, Addie Tabler had a 122, and Selena Johnson had a 123.

Audrey Ault was Caston’s low scorer with a 117. Lyla Gebhardt had a 118, Ava Russell had a 120, Olivia Traylor had a 122, and Leah Ehlinger had a 139.

Brianna Patton’s 114 topped Winamac’s team scorecard. Sophia Shell added a 116, Maddie Keller had a 129, Scarlett Browning had a 132, and Lila Lavender had a 134.

North Judson’s Avaleigh Wright shot a 99 to earn medalist honors, edging Triton’s Chloe McKinney by one stroke.

This is the second year of the tournament, which has grown from six teams last year. The format is unique. Instead of a standard tournament where players pair with the corresponding player from the opponent – for example, Team A’s No. 1 player plays with Team B’s No. 1 player – teams are paired with each other and play the same holes together as a fivesome.

That allows for teams to build togetherness and allows coaches to see and communicate with all of their players at once instead of crisscrossing the course in a golf cart looking at one player at a time.

Winamac coach Jeremy Shell said all of his players are just learning the game.

“We’ve got a couple girls coming back that have a little bit of experience,” coach Shell said. “We’ve got two freshmen, one of whom has never touched a club until a couple weeks ago. The other one’s my daughter. She played middle school golf, and she’s been out some but still not a ton of experience in competition. I would say we’re young, but we do have four seniors. So we’re not really young. We’re just very inexperienced.”

Winamac finished third in an 18-hole, three-way tournament against Rochester and Triton at Round Barn Golf Club in Rochester Monday.

“Trying to keep them in  good headspace is key right now,” coach Shell said. “Going back-to-back 18 holes is really not ideal with a team with this experience level, but trying to keep them staying positive. Patience is the biggest thing because this is a very difficult game to play. So it’s really just getting them to understand what the expectations should be and then just trying to keep them in a good headspace.”

Coach Shell said the idea of the tournament originated after a talk between former athletic director Bryan Leverenz and him. Winamac had previously opened the season with the Kankakee Valley Invitational at Sandy Pines Golf Club in DeMotte and followed it with a tournament at Curtis Creek Golf Course in Rensselaer.

Those are difficult courses against quality opponents, and they could be daunting for inexperienced players. With practice typically starting on a Friday and competition starting three days later, it is not much time to prepare a team, according to coach Shell.

“We wanted to start something where a coach could have all their kids together,” coach Shell said. “And try to get a good opportunity to really coach them through how to get through a round of golf.”

Coach Shell said he has gotten a lot of good feedback.

“I think there’s some things we can do better,” coach Shell said. “But I think especially small schools around us really enjoy this setting, so they can get an opportunity to work with these kids a little more in depth.”

Caston coach Rick Phelps praised the format of the tournament.

“This tournament is a great way to start the season for the Lady Comets,” Phelps said in a statement. “The format of having each team play together is a great way to allow each golfer to play in a relaxed atmosphere while building team camaraderie. The fact that we finished sixth among 10 teams should give the team confidence going into the rest of the season.”

Winamac Invitational

at Moss Creek Golf Club Tuesday

North Judson 420, McCutcheon 440, Pioneer 450, Triton 455, Fort Wayne Luers 468, Caston 477, Winamac 479, North Judson JV 480, Knox 518, Hebron 532

PIONEER (450): Grace Cobb 108, Ali Tribbett 117, Kassandra Martinez 118, Addie Tabler 122, (Selena Johnson 123)

CASTON (477): Audrey Ault 117, Lyla Gebhardt 118, Ava Russell 120, Olivia Taylor 122, (Leah Ehlinger 139)

WINAMAC (479): Brianna Patton 114, Sophia Shell 116, Maddie Keller 129, Scarlett Browning 132, (Lila Lavender 134)