Fairfield’s boys and girls golf programs had a busy stretch of competition Monday, April 13th and Tuesday, April 14th, with the girls and boys competing in back-to-back meets that included an 18-hole invitational a few days after prom weekend.
Girls at Fort Madison — Monday, April 13th
The Fairfield girls competed at Sheaffer Memorial Golf Course in Fort Madison on Monday, finishing fourth out of six teams with a score of 230 on the par-36 nine-hole course. Keokuk won the team title with 198, marking their first conference meet victory of the season, followed by Fort Madison with 211, Mount Pleasant with 216, Washington with 236, and Burlington with 279.
Fairfield competed without junior Ella Bentler, who was under the weather. Vanessa Kessel stepped up to lead the team, placing fifth individually with a 50. Kylie Felt placed 14th with a 57, Kate Brecount 20th with a 61, Aries Wagner 21st with a 62, and Janell Ferguson rounded out the scorecard in 24th with a 69 in her first varsity appearance of the season. Keokuk’s Carrigan Morris won individual medalist honors with a 42, followed by teammate Delaney Ruhl in second with a 44.
Girls at Redette Invitational — Tuesday, April 14th
The Fairfield girls followed up their Fort Madison meet by competing in the Redette Invitational at Appanoose Country Club in Centerville on Tuesday, playing 18 holes for the first time this season. The team shot a 419 to finish seventh in the field.
Ella Bentler and Vanessa Kessel each shot a 91 to lead the team. Aries Wagner finished with a 116, Kylie Felt shot a 121, and Addison Qualters rounded out the scorecard with a 128.
Girls head coach Makenzie Champ said the conditions made for a challenging but memorable day. “It was sunny, cloudy, windy, and rainy all while the girls golfed—all the weather, which made it interesting,” Champ said. Despite the elements, she was proud of how her team handled the grind of their first 18-hole round. “It went really well! Walking 18 holes is miles. Plus some girls carry their own clubs. It’s not for the weak. They all finished strong, stayed locked in, and had fun.”
Champ also noted that the two-day stretch was anything but easy on the girls, coming off prom weekend and going from nine holes to 18 holes on back-to-back days. She added that having the girls stretch before the round made a noticeable difference.
Boys at Washington — Monday, April 13th
The Fairfield boys opened their Monday at the Washington Golf and Country Club, finishing second out of five teams with a score of 168 on the par-35 nine-hole course. Washington won the team title with 159, followed by Mount Pleasant with 175, Keokuk with 176, and Fort Madison with 179.
Washington’s Rajan Roth won individual medalist honors with a 37. Drew Myers tied for second with a 39 and one birdie, matching Drew Conrad of Washington. Archer Kreuter placed fourth with a 40, Dain Burkhart placed eighth with a 43, Luke Thornton placed 16th with a 46, Xavier Kessel placed 26th with a 49, and Mason Crew rounded out the varsity scorecard in 30th with a 63. In junior varsity action, Quinn Settles placed third with a 50 and Liam Hunter placed 13th with a 63.
Boys at Albia Invitational — Tuesday, April 14th
The Fairfield boys followed up Monday’s meet by traveling to the Albia Invitational on Tuesday, competing over 18 holes on the par-72 course. Fairfield finished third out of eight teams with a score of 348, behind host Albia’s winning 323 and Sigourney’s 328. Chariton was fourth with 350, EBF fifth with 361, Davis County sixth with 370, Centerville seventh with 372, and Moravia eighth with 435.
Sigourney’s Solon Yates won individual medalist honors with a 76. Drew Myers and Archer Kreuter tied for 10th for Fairfield, each shooting an 86. Luke Thornton placed 13th with an 87, Xavier Kessel placed 18th with an 89, Dain Burkhart placed 28th with a 93, and Quinn Settles rounded out the scorecard in 46th with a 113.
Head coach Mick Flattery noted that the team started slowly but played better on the back nine, a positive sign heading into Thursday at Mount Pleasant for their next conference action.
Photo courtesy of Makenzie Champ.
