If this is how Jake Lane struggles, rival golfers could be in trouble once he finds his groove.
Lane, a Grade 11 student playing at Alberni Golf Club for the first time matched teammate Aiden Goodfellow with a low round of 73 to help pace the Kwalikum Secondary School golf team to victory last Wednesday in an eight-team invitational tournament.
“When I’m playing a course blind like today, I play on the defence a lot,” said Lane. “I think I only used three drivers; I was just trying to limit the damage.”
Lane fired a 37 on the front nine and closed with a 36 to finish 3-over on the par-70 course. Goodfellow, a Grade 10, went out with a 36 and came in with a 37 to match Lane for the round.
The pair finished one stroke ahead of Tyrus Brach of Powell River’s Brooks Secondary (74) and three strokes clear of Alberni’s Spencer Rhodes (76).
Shririn Anjarwalla of Nanaimo’s Dover Bay Secondary, the 2014 B.C. Juvenile Girls Champion, shot a 72 from the ladies’ tees to post the low score of the afternoon.
Kwalikum Secondary, the reigning provincial runner-up, got an 87 from Masato Wilson and an 89 from Moritz Wagner to finish with a team total of 322. Anton Stamme, who rounded out the five-member traveling squad, tallied a 98.
Host Alberni District Secondary School parlayed the home-course advantage to a second-place finish at 340. Brooks was third with 345 and Parksville’s Ballenas Secondary fourth at 356.
The round was played after a day of steady rain in the Alberni Valley, and was marked by wind gusts and occasional light showers.
“It’s not a long course, but it played to its full length today,” said Daryl Britz, Ballenas coach. “Still, for all the water they got, the greens were in good shape.”
The Whalers were paced by Michael McKee, who turned around a shaky start with a birdie on the par-3 fourth hole. McKee finished with an 86 and was closely followed by teammates Daryl Setter (87) and Connor Freeman (88). Ethan Busch added a 95 and Devon Matheson shot 106 to round out the team’s showing.
Most participants played in jackets or hoodies against the damp chill, and the spongy fairways gobbled up drives and long approaches.
“It could have been worse,” said Goodfellow, who said he has played the Alberni course a few times. “I made a lot of putts. The greens were really true; there were a few wet spots, but overall, I was impressed.”
Goodfellow seemed less troubled by the quality of his round than Lane, who described his ball-striking as “inconsistent.”
“I couldn’t seem to get a feel for the course or my game,” he said. “My chipping and putting were OK.”
Both players and coaches noted it is still early in the season, and both course conditions and confidence will improve as teams get closer to the Vancouver Island and B.C. provincial championships.
“We’ve got a young team; we have two Grade 9s,” Britz said of his Ballenas squad. “It’s all about the experience and learning tournament golf. When they get to the big tournaments, they’ll be well-versed in what to do.”
The KSS team has plenty of big-tourney experience. The school won back-to-back provincial titles in 2013-14, and coach Butch Gayton returns all his players from last season’s second-place provincial team.
“Aiden’s improved a lot, and I’ll be confident in my game at that point,” Lane said when asked about the Kondors’ provincial prospects this year. “I’m pretty confident; I’m hoping to take it this year.”
Both teams return to tournament play this Thursday at Crown Isle Golf Club in Courtenay. Ballenas will then a tournament next Monday, April 25, on its home course at Morningstar Golf Club. Play begins with a shotgun start at 1 p.m.
HIGH SCHOOL GOLF TOURNAMENT
At Alberni Golf Club
Wed., April 13
Team scores
1. Kwalikum 322; 2. Alberni 340; 3. Brooks 345; 4. Ballenas 356; 5. Mark Isfeld 366; 6. Timberline 379; 7. Dover Bay 405; 8. Ladysmith 408.
Individual (local golfers)
Aiden Goodfellow, KSS 73
Jake Lane, KSS 73
Michael McKee, Ballenas 86
Daryl Setter, Ballenas 87
Masato Wilson, KSS 87
Connor Freeman, Ballenas 88
Moritz Wagner, KSS 89
Ethan Busch, Ballenas 95
Anton Stamme, KSS 98
Devon Matheson, Ballenas 106
