By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
CARTHAGE, Mo. – Monday was a big day for the father-son duo of Chris and Conner Obert.
Chris, the head coach of the Glendale boys golf team, watched as Conner carded a 76 to help the Falcons to a first-place finish at the Sonic Invitational in Carthage.
Obert finished in a two-way tie for first place and took home individual honors after a scorecard tiebreaker.
“He had a good day out there,” Chris said. “Obviously when you ask them they say it could be a lot better but it was one of those things where he had a double bogey and some bogeys out there but ended up being patient and hanging in there. He finished second twice this year by one stroke so it was good that happened. It helps him learn for these times.”
With winds gusting as high as 30 miles per hour at the par-71 Carthage Golf Course, Obert said he didn’t have any really good stretches but “hung in there and grinded it out.”
“It was a little windy but I controlled it well and hit some good shots,” he said.
“I did good on the par fives, the par threes were a little tough,” he said. “I was hitting the driver well and the putter was good too. It was a good round.”
He finished the round with an eagle and three birdies to go along with eight bogeys and a double. He had five bogeys on the front nine but carded a three on the par-five ninth hole.
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Teammate Dawson Meek, a two-time state qualifier like Obert, finished a stroke back in third place at 77. Adam Floyd shot 82, Luke Ogden shot 88 and Ty Petty scored 97 for a team total of 323. That was one stroke better than Olathe Northwest, which had all five golfers score between 78 and 86.
“Dawson did well and then Adam Floyd, my freshman, he shot 82,” Chris said. “The three man Lucas, he’s having a little bit of a struggle right now so hopefully he can get things turned around before we get to the postseason. We’ll need him big time come postseason for us to move on.”
Joplin finished in third place in the team standings at 340, Nevada was fourth at 344 and Ozark was fifth at 351. Kickapoo (353), Mt. Vernon (356), Carthage (356), Nixa (373) and Webb City (376) rounded out the top 10, and were followed by Branson (379), Neosho (380), Carl Junction (381), Monett (387), Cassville (389), Seneca (409), Carthage’s second team (413), Parkview (425), McDonald County (430), Lamar (436) and Central (473).
Nevada’s Bronson Smith was the other player to shoot 76. He had one double bogey and seven bogeys and birdied four holes.
Glendale’s Meek was third and Monett’s Clayton Kaiser finished fourth with a 78. He was one of five players to shoot 78, along with Nevada’s Carter Swearingen (fifth), Olathe’s Drake Krumme (sixth), Joplin’s Feilding Campbell (seventh) and Carthage’s Robbie Sager (eighth).
Parkview was led by Royden Slifes’ ninth-place finish with an 80. Ozark’s top golfer was Kelby Day, who shot 80 and finished 10th. Kickapoo’s Jacoby Mast shot 86 to finish 18th. Mt. Vernon was led by Curtis Wendler and Kaden Killingsworth, who each shot 87 and placed 22nd and 23rd, respectively. Nixa’s Raben McLeroy shot 90 to finish 40th. Webb City’s Nathan Ogden shot 89 to finish 37th. Branson’s Zack McBratney shot 89 to finish 30th. Neosho’s
Jace Parmely shot 89 and placed 32nd. Carl Junction’s Tyler Varner shot 91 and finished 42nd. Cassville’s Dylan
McCormack shot 86 to earn 20th place. Seneca’s Dayton Fields shot 91 to place 41st. McDonald County’s Rendon
Lane shot 87 and was 25th. Lamar’s Keller Huke shot 97 and was 61st. Central’s Spencer Jones shot 106 for 82nd.
