Leiker takes first
Staff writer
The Marion High School golf team won the regional tournament Monday in Marion with a team score of 367.
Landon Leiker won the tournament with a round of 82. He shot a 39 on the front nine and a 43 on the back nine.
“He’s settled right in there,” golf coach Lee Leiker said. “He’s settled in the low 80s.”
Joining Leiker in the top 10 in the tournament was Hogan Lovelady who tied for seventh with a score of 92. The sophomore began the season as a lower ranking member of the team, but he has improved his game to place well in the past three tournaments.
“He’s really played well of late,” coach Tod Gordon said.
Senior Adam Molleker tied for 10th with a score of 96.
Sophomore Wiley Lundy tied for 14th with 97.
Gordon said every golfer on the team has improved steadily over the course of the season. However, an adjustment that every golfer has used is playing more conservatively to contain high scoring holes.
“You’d look at the score card and you’d see a 10 or a 12,” Gordon said.
Lundy provided an example of this adjustment when he teed off at the first hole. Lundy plunked a tree north of the tee and his ball ricocheted back down the hill east of the tee box. Instead of trying to make up for the lost distance by hitting with a more powerful wooden club, Lundy used an iron to layup onto the fairway.
“If he hadn’t been careful, it could have been a big, big number,” Gordon said.
The Warriors will compete at the 3A state tournament beginning at 8:40 a.m. Monday at the Salina Municipal Golf Course.