The Bellmont golf team traveled North on a chilly Tuesday night to take on Columbia City at Eagle Glen G.C. The depth of the Eagles was too much to overcome as the Braves came up short 155 – 167 despite an outstanding 2-under par round 34 by their #1 golfer, Winston Brown. Bellmont’s #2 Owen Minnick had a solid 38 on the away course to back up Brown. Brice Rickord came in with 45 from the fifth spot, but Gage Bressler (50) and Jayden Haines (51) both had off nights and the Braves came up short.
Brown out-dueled Columbia City’s Kam Hoag (36) who had taken third place in Saturday’s Concordia Invitational. Hoag got off to a hot start with birdies on two of the first three holes, but a wayward tee shot on the tight fourth hole cost him a bogey. Brown, meanwhile, was steady with four pars to begin his round. Winston birdied the par 5 fifth hole and narrowly missed birdie putts on the sixth and seventh holes before cashing in for birdie on the eighth hole to go two-under par. Hoag bogeyed the eighth to fall back to even par and each player finished with par on the last hole. The other two in the group, CC #2 Andrew Hedrick (37) and Minnick were no slouch as the foursome toured the front nine collectively at one-over par as the parents and onlookers were treated to some high level golf.
The course was not as kind to the other Bellmont golfers. Rickord held it together and had three pars to counter three double-bogeys for his 45. Haines and Bressler each battled back after a rough start, but they were a collective 13-over par on the last three holes. Their counterparts from CC played the last three holes at even par collectively to provide the margin that the Eagles needed for the win. Bellmont falls to 2 – 2, 1 – 2 in the NE8. Columbia City goes to 6 – 0, 3 – 0 in the conference.
The JV match also went to the Eagles by the score of 183 – 209. Ben Binegar led the Bellmont JV effort with a 47. Brady Malone carded a 49 and Rylan Mihm 50. Landon Strickler (63) and Colin Mihm (65) each struggled on a course they had never played before. It was the first loss of the season for the Braves JV squad. Bellmont is in action again Thursday in a tri-match with Adams Central and South Adams at Wabash Valley G.C.