Saratoga Golf team readies for state tournament

The Saratoga Golf Team has nearly finished with their season, and from where head coach Jared Mason is standing, the team looks pretty good for bringing home a trophy from the state meet in two weeks.

On Sept. 4, the team had a chance to play the Wright Golf Course, where the state championship will be held next week.

The Panthers finished with a fourth place finish at Wright with a team score of 404.

Mason said the team competed against several different 1A/2A schools that will be at the state meet next week.

Joe LaBorde finished with a 96; Guy Erickson had a 97, Cristian Soles golfed a 100, Hazer Hinkle scored a 111 and Torin Hedley came in with a 115.

Last Friday, the team traveled to Sheridan and competed in a match game. It was a first for the team. "It was a unique experience for them to compete at each hole," Mason said. In match play, the scoring system earns a point for the best golfer at each hole.

The Panthers played against Sundance, Tongue River and Big Horn. For LaBorde, it came down to the last hole, before he lost to a player from Tongue River.

Mason said the advantage of playing a match game is the players can shake off a loss on one hole, because they start all over again at the next hole.

It was a good Friday to get out and play, Mason said. The greens were fast and had a lot of break to them.

If the players can continue to improve their scores, they have a good chance to win third place at state Mason said.

The top four players scores are added together to determine the winning score. To be competitive, they need to score 400 as a team.

With Soles, Erickson and LaBorde each breaking 100 over the past few weeks, and Hinkle seeing a continual improvement in his scores, it is not a unrealistic goal, Mason said. The Saratoga Golf team travels to Lusk Friday.