Jackson golf team claims three-squad match in tough conditions

On a day when breaking par was next to impossible, the Jackson boys golf team did the next best thing.

Four Indians golfers broke 40, and Jackson cruised to a 15-stroke victory Wednesday in a three-team meet with Central and Saxony Lutheran at the Cape Girardeau Country Club.

Hunter Asher, Eli Pike and Caleb Likens each carded 2-over-par 37s on the front nine to tie for medalist honors along with Central's Luke Kinder. Dylan Murikami added a 4-over 39 to fill out Jackson's team score of 150.

Central finished at 165, followed by Saxony Lutheran at 184.

"That's really the first time we shot this well as a team, so it's good to see that," Jackson coach Zack Walton said. "We've had an individual (shoot well) here and there, but to see them all shoot well on one day was good to see."

Cape Central's Christian Retter hits a drive on the first hole during a three team match Wednesday, April 1, 2015 hosted by Cape Girardeau Country Club. (Glenn Landberg)

Course conditions -- the greens at the country club were aerated only the day before -- limited scoring chances, but the Indians were able to limit mistakes off the tee and keep the ball in play for most of the match.

"The greens today were tricky, putting over the bumps," said Asher, who strung together seven pars to go with just two bogeys. "I left a lot of putts short, had a lot of good birdie looks today. After hitting the ball good and not being able to capitalize on it kind of put a damper on things."

Pike was equally consistent with just two bogeys marring his round.

"Off the tee, I was real inconsistent," said Pike. "But luckily the irons are working well for me right now. A lot of knock-down shots, three-quarter shots, enough to keep under control, safely on the greens. Try to get a two-putt on these greens."

Likens' 37 was a pleasant surprise, coming from the fourth group.

"I'm just hitting them straight and putting well," he said following his one-birdie, three-bogey effort. "I'm out there all the time practicing."

Kinder's 37 included just one slip-up, a double bogey six on the 385-yard, par-5 fifth hole.

"The greens were not rolling very straight. I don't think anybody could make a putt," Kinder said. "We had a bunch of birdie putts, but they all ended up a couple inches short."

He said placement off the tee was key to his round.

Saxony Lutheran's Bryan Therston watches his shot from the fifth hole during a three team match Wednesday, April 1, 2015 hosted by Cape Girardeau Country Club. (Glenn Landberg)

"I didn't miss a lot of fairways, other than No. 9," he said. "That was definitely the key today."

Sophomore Karsten Short started out strong for Saxony, birdieing the 395-yard, par-4 first hole, before a string of five consecutive bogeys did him in. He finished with a 5-over 41, tops for the Crusaders.

"I started off well, but then my driver kept hurting me," Short said. "Then my putting toward the end hurt me also. Other than that, I thought I played OK."

Other than the aerated greens, the course was in good shape, considering the long winter and early start to the season. Several golfers said they are simply eager to get their game into shape after spending countless hours practicing inside their respective gymnasiums.

"We're just trying to get some momentum for the next tournaments," said Central's Franklin, whose roller-coaster round included one birdie, four pars and four bogeys. "Carry a little bit of scoring, make some birdies, don't try to get into any bad habits. I played well, but I could have made some better decisions on the greens."

Team scores

Jackson 150, Central 165, Saxony Lutheran 184

Individual scores

JACKSON (150) -- Hunter Asher 37, Eli Pike 37, Caleb Likens 37, Dylan Murikami 39, Ty LeGrand 42, Justin Lukefahr 50.

CENTRAL (165) -- Luke Kinder 37, Kobe Franklin 38, Keegan Bramlett 45, Christian Retter 45, Dustin Lindsey 50, Dalton Drum 55.

SAXONY LUTHERAN (184) -- Karsten Short 41, Ben Daniel 48, Bryan Thurston 49, Drew Zieba 56, Joe Rubach 57, Jon Mueller 59.