By Don Eskins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Glendale Falcons carded a team low 323 on Monday afternoon at the Millwood Golf Club in Ozark to grab this year’s 2019 SPS Golf Invitational.
Glendale High finished at the top of the SPS leaderboard ahead of 12 other teams gathered there to compete in this year’s event.
Conner Obert, who recorded a round of 75, and Dawson Meek with a 76 led Glendale to the win in their opening golf match of the season.
Close behind the Falcons were the Springfield Catholic Fightin Irish who came in at 328 and the Lebanon Yellowjackets who recorded a 337.
Glendale head coach Chris Obert says the victory was a great way for his kids to kick off the new season but was quick to point out that this was just the beginning of a new season of prep golf and there was still a lot of work ahead for the Falcons.
“We got a decent start on the season today with some good efforts from our kids but we definitely have room for improvement,” said Obert. “Conner and Dawson put up some good numbers for us today but then our scores jumped from a 76 to freshman Adam Floyd’s 84. So we have a lot to work on, especially at the fourth and fifth spots of our lineup, if we’re going to make an impact as a solid team this year.”
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Although experiencing a few tough spots on the course Conner Obert felt his round was a good one for the start of a new year.
“I feel I played fairly well today. I made a few errors which didn’t allow me to score better,” said Obert. “But I also hit some good shots so overall I was pretty happy with my round.”
Just five strokes off the pace set by the Falcons was Springfield Catholic at 328. The Irish finished in the runner-up up spot riding the hot hand of Walker Serrano who grabbed the tournament’s top medalist honors after firing a round of 69.
“I feel like our kids had the jitters a little bit today especially getting off the tee boxes,” said Catholic head coach Don East. “But Walker gave us a solid score at 69 to give our team a big boost. I was especially proud of the way our kids kept their heads and played under control today. Overall they played very well.”
And what allowed Serrano to play so well throughout the day?
“I got off to a great start. I had an eagle on the second hole and a birdie on the third so after the first three holes I was three under par and I kind of stayed there for the rest of my round,” said the Fightin Irish junior.
“Winning the tournament today was a great feeling. It was the second victory of my high school career,” said Serrano. “Winning instills confidence in you, confidence that tells you that you can win again. It’s really a great feeling to be able to carry with you each new week that you tee up for another tournament.”
Lebanon’s Cooper Hess, whose 75 tied Obert for the second best effort turned in at the tournament, said his day was full of challenges.
“I didn’t hit very well all day. I kept hitting a lot of shots to the left and I just couldn’t figure out what the problem was,” said Hess. “But my coach really helped me to keep my game together a lot. He helped me with club selection and course management. I just sort of grinded it out and was able to card only four bogeys with a birdie so my round wasn’t too bad.”
Following are individual scores for the top three teams at the SPS Invitational.
Glendale: 1. Conner Obert- 75, 2. Dawson Meek- 76, 3. Adam Floyd- 84, 4. Lucas Ogden- 88 and 5. Jonathan Dixon- 96.
Springfield Catholic: 1. Walker Serrano- 69, 2. Dane Puckett- 84, 3. Walker Tynes- 86, 4. Joe Muenks- 89 and 5. Calven Sanders- 99.
Lebanon- 1. Cooper Hess- 75, 2. Tryin Titus- 78, 3. Grant Carr- 92, 4. Mason Bowman- 92 and 5. Houston Brackett- 106.
SPS Team Results
1. Glendale- 323;
2. Springfield Catholic- 328;
3. Lebanon- 337;
4. Nixa- 354;
5. Kickapoo- 358;
6. West Plains- 362;
7. Glendale JV’s- 368;
8. Kickapoo JV’s -381;
9. Monett- 393;
10. Greenwood- 410;
11. Branson- 412;
12. Parkview- 427;
13. Central- 469
Top 10 Medalists
1. Walker Serrano- 69 Catholic;
2T. Cooper Hess- 75 Lebanon;
2T. Conner Obert- 75 Glendale;
4T. Dawson Meek- 76 Glendale;
4T. Clayton Kaiser- 76 Monett;
6.Tryin Titus 78- Lebanon;
7. Clay Butler 80- West Plains;
8T. Roy Slifer- 82 Parkview;
8T. Landon Rothgeb 82- West Plains;
8T. Sam Stack 82- Kickapoo.
