YC hits qualifying score in first meet

Whenever a team plays its first match of the year, it's common to battle some rust.

For Antelope and Yuma Catholic on Wednesday, they had to battle the wind as well.

The Shamrocks began their quest for a third-straight state title with an easy win at Desert Hills, shooting a 161. Parker shot a 212 and the Rams were third with a 235.

YC junior Grady Bourguignon was the individual medalist with a one-under-par 37, followed by teammates Zach Estes (38) and Joey Perricone (40).

And although the wind was strong all day, Bourguignon and YC No. 2 Kody Boyd (46) struggled with their putting.

“Some days putts go in, some days putts don't go in,” Bourguignon said. “Today was one of those days the ball didn't want to go in the hole.”

To qualify for state, a team must hit a certain score in five meets throughout the year, and the Shamrocks' score was good enough for their first qualifying match.

“I think we can all play a little better,” Bourguignon said. “But as long as we hit the qualifying number, that's all that matters.”

YC coach Bob Anderson said overall he was pleased with his team's play.

“We did better on our practice round Friday but we didn't have this wind. Joey cut a stroke off his practice round, Zach cut a stroke off his. Kody had a rough day but still brought in a qualifying team score, and that's what we're looking for.”

Anderson said the upside of the putting problems is the Shamrocks know what they have to work on.

“These greens weren't in their best shape, and sometimes wind effects putts, too,” Anderson said. “Putting was definitely Kody's problem. But these guys, Grady's not going to be happy unless he shoots a 35. He feels like there's something wrong with a 37. Zach, really, he played his game. They played well, especially since they were fighting the wind.”

Antelope was without its No. 1 golfer Tyler Johnson as well as two others. Nick Melcher had the low Antelope score with a 51.

“I just wanted these guys to get out, especially this one junior I have out who hasn't played competitive golf before,” Hill said. “My (top three) were with last year and needed to get back into the groove. The biggest thing is they needed to find out what they need to work on. And the best way to find out is to play.”

Yuma Catholic 161

Parker 212

Antelope 235

Top 5 — Grady Bourguignon, YC, 37; Zach Estes, YC, 38; Joey Perricone, YC, 40; Kody Boyd, YC, 46; Mark Lopresti, Parker, 47