Now on the tee: Mullen opens play
New-look 'Stangs take 4th as a team in the Centennial, 2 within the top 14; no mulligans needed vs. COVID restrictions.
AURORA -- New-look Mullen boys golf got the school’s 2021-22 sports year off the first tee on Thursday.
And there was some relief as well as joy.
In a year on the heels of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it began with a sense of certainty.
“You’ve got a schedule you can rely on, you know where you can be the next two weeks,” Mustangs head coach Jerry Koehler said. “Things aren’t in the air and (last year) felt like it could get the rug jerked out from under you.”
Said junior Ethan Karr: “For sure, it’s nicer to have more contact with players and not as strict policies.”
The Mustangs celebrated the release in the first Centennial League match of the season, held at a tight, par-70 Meadow Hills Golf Course with a fourth-place showing as a team, two individuals within the top 14 and three within the best 18.
Mullen totaled 322, 42-over for four players. Karr shot 6-over 76, senior Brody Reister recorded 78, Ryan Brady 82 and Ben Hawes 86. Senior John Yoder came in at 93.
Koehler said he “saw a lot of good things ball-striking-wise, but in the short game a lot of missed putts. There were probably 15 putts I saw inside 5 feet we missed … some not being patient … we’re just getting back into competition.”
Brady said his score didn’t reflect how he struck the ball, but he’s “looking forward to the rest of the season.
Arapahoe won the team chase with an impressive 9-under 271 total, headed by three players who shot in the 60s and another who shot even par.
Mullen will resume play on Monday, Aug. 16, with Centennial No. 2 at South Suburban G.C. in Centennial and its notoriously slick greens.
RESULTS
CENTENNIAL LEAGUE NO. 1
At Meadow Hills G.C.
Par 70
Team scores – Arapahoe 271, Cherry Creek 290, Grandview 311, Mullen 322, Cherokee Trail 326, Eaglecrest 346.
Mullen individuals – 10. (tie) Ethan Karr 76; 14. (tie) Brodie Reister 78; 18. Ryan Brady 82; 25. Ben Hawes 86; 28. John Yoder 93.
© 2020 Mullen High School. All Rights Reserved.