Featuring some of the best community college men's golf teams in the nation at the Region VI/Central District Championships, the 20th ranked Barton Community College squad simply couldn't keep pace in finishing seventh over the course of two days at Lochland Country Club in Hastings, Nebraska.
The Cougars began Monday's 36-holes of action with a team 302 score, good for fourth place and just four shots out of the morning's best team round. Barton fell to the sixth spot at the conclusion of the day with a 311 as each of the top five teams went sub-300 to break away from the field. Facing a seventeen stroke deficit in an attempt to climb back into the District's top five automatic national qualifiers, Tuesday's final round didn't go as planned in posting a 316 to slide another spot to seventh at 65-over 929.
The NJCAA's toughest district featured five Top-12 teams, three coming from the Cougars' own Region VI members, as each held their own to qualify for the NJCAA Championships. Leading the pack was 13th ranked Iowa Western at 18-over (882) followed by defending champion and 3rd ranked Hutchinson at 25-over (889). In third was 6th ranked Indian Hills at 27-over (891), followed by 11th ranked Dodge City at 29-over (893) and 12th ranked Garden City carding a combined 34-over 898.
Erasing a fifteen stroke deficit to the Cougars after round one, Kansas City Kansas leaped over Barton into sixth place by five strokes with a pair of solid rounds compiling a 60-over 924. Trailing Barton for eighth place was Fort Scott at 146-over (1010) with Coffeyville rounding out the nine team field at 247-over (1111).
Matching the morning's best individual tournament round of 1-under par 71, Pontus Nordstrom slipped in the remaining rounds with a pair of 80's on the card to finish at 15-over 231 for 25th overall.
The Cougars' most consistent performer throughout the three rounds was Carlos Hamou with Monday's twin 77 rounds followed by Tuesday's 78 score to finish a stroke behind Nordstrom at 16th place compiling a 16-over 232.
Second team All-KJCCC performer Tom Gehring finished the tournament with the Cougars' second best tournament round of 2-over 74 to follow up Monday's 77 and 82 rounds in placing 28th in the 45-man field at 17-over 233.
Ethan Bonnett began with consistent Monday rounds of 77 and 78 with a final trip around the links producing an 84 for a 23-over 239 placing 31st.
Carding 78 and 76 rounds on the first day, Tom Lehmann closed with an 86 for a 33rd place 24-over 240 to conclude the Barton entries.
Barton Results:
25th Pontus Nordstrom +15 231 (71-80-80)
T-26th Carlos Hamou +16 232 (77-77-78)
T-28th Tom Gehring +17 233 (77-82-74)
T-31st Ethan Bonnett +23 239 (77-78-84)
T-33rd Tom Lehmann +24 240 (78-76-86)
2022 Region VI/Central District Championship Results: Team Individuals