Zach Martin seventh at state golf tournament

Cowboy golfer Zach Martin had the best two-day showing for the Clarion-Goldfield-Dows boys golf team at the 2A State Tournament last week in Marshalltown. He shot rounds of 74 and 76 for a 150 total, placing him in a tie for seventh individually. Other Cowboy scores were: Dalton Nesheim 81-75 for 156 (tie 23rd); Alec Martin 86-79 for 165 (tie 41st); Will Weidemann 94-82 for 176 (tie 55th); Sam Johnson 94-89 for 183 (tie 61st) and Blake Jackson 93-90 for 183 9tied 61st). The team title went to Kuemper Catholic with a 604, followed in the top three by PCM at 619 and Des Moines Christian at 623. The Cowboys were ninth at 646.

“It was a great experience,” stated head coach Pat O’Brien. “Weather was a little warm, but we kept hydrated and enjoyed the opportunity to show what we were capable of. Some struggled to handle the pressure of the moment, at first, but then settled in. Our goal the second day was to show that we deserved to be there and we did that. All the teams played better the second day, but we made the biggest gain in scores and gave the fifth-best score of that day. We felt that was the position that we would have been in if we’d had a better first day.”

O’Brien felt the seniors finished their season strong. “Zach fought through some tough holes to solidify his seventh-place finish, which got him a medal and a spot on the all-tournament team. Will went out an proved he could play with anyone. They will be hard to replace, along with Bryce Tegtmeyer who made the trip as an alternate. Saime lida was our other senior. They really helped lead this group to a level that hadn’t been achieved for a long time. "

For the full story, see the June 7 edition of the Monitor.