Cougar comeback falls one stroke short, settles for fifth at KJCCC Championship

The Barton Community College men's golf team stayed consistent through the three rounds of the KJCCC Championship finishing with a late charge coming up one stroke shy of a fourth place finish Tuesday at Newton's Sand Creek Station Golf Course.   Barton finished at 55-over for a 919 team score with Natchapol Srinoon breaking the top ten individual placings tying for the eighth spot with a 7-over 223.

The Cougars' 309 opening round on Monday tied Kansas City Kansas Community College for the fourth spot.  The Blue Devils opened up separation in the afternoon's round of eighteen firing a 291 while the Cougars' best round of 302 left Barton trailing by eleven into the final day.   Barton made the final day charge with four players breaking 80 but the team's 308 was only ten better than KCK for the fourth spot.  

Srinoon made his move into the top ten following his 75 opening round with a 73 in the afternoon session before closing with another 75. The eighth place finish was beneficial as it also jumped Srinoon into the top fifteen in the season standings earning honorable mention all-conference honors following his first team honors last season.

Competing as an individual, Andrew Iverson began the championship tied for the eleventh spot with an opening 75 before an afternoon round of 76 dropped him to 17th.  Closing with an 80 on Tuesday falling to a tie for the 22nd spot, Iverson's tournament still placed him above the other Cougar field at 15-over 231.

In a 25th spot tie, Seokhun Kang and Blake Huxman had identical 78-77-79 rounds to finish at 18-over 234 and one stroke ahead of teammate Jared Oelke's 235.  Oelke followed up his Monday morning round of 78 with a 75 but Tuesday's 82 round tumbled the Ellinwood sophomore into the 27th position.

Rounding out the Cougar team, Jakkapat Horsangchai found his stroke tying for a team low 75 on the final round but unfortunately an 81 and 82 preceded on Monday for a 30th place finish at 22-over 238.   Taking fourth place in his first conference tournament followed by a tenth place in the second conference meet, Horsangchai' season accomplishments weren't damaged from the past two days as the freshman earned second team all-conference honors.

Dodge City took the meet title with a 12-over 876 with Hutchinson close behind at 878 edging out Garden City by one stroke.

Despite the fifth place finish on Tuesday, Barton placed ahead of KCK in the first two conference meets giving the Cougars the fourth spot in the season team standings edging out the Blue Devils by a half a point.  

The Cougars will next compete in the Region VI and District III Championships April 24-26 held at the Wild Horse Golf Course in Gothenburg, Nebraska. 

KJCCC Championship Results:  Individual   Team