Boys? golf looking for postseason success

Coming into the season, Dalton Myers was a name that was expected to break out onto the scene for the Washington boys? golf team. After this past weekend, the Demon freshman might be playing some of the best golf of the season.

Myers was the top finisher for the Demons in the past three meets, and while he has played well lately, he has his sights set on one thing, the postseason.

?I expected to play well, but I didn?t expect to play well every meet,? Myers said. ?I probably won?t every meet, but I?m feeling pretty good coming off these two meets and I?ll see what I can do in the postseason.?

The end of the year is the focus for the entire team right now, as they compete in the final week before the conference and sectional tournaments.

With the play of Myers, Washington head coach Mark Berhow noted that the freshman has had to endure a couple of tough rounds, but has been impressed with how he?s bounced back.

?He overcame a really high score at Oskaloosa, and then bounced back with a pair of courses over the weekend that he didn?t really know before, and shot very well,? Berhow said. ?He?s a very good ball striker, and we just need to see more dedicated practice and have him come in after practice or on the weekends.?

Myers isn?t the only Demon coming on at the end of the season.

After missing a meet last week, junior Derek Anding responded with a pair of solid tournaments over the weekend, shooting a 45 in a nine-hole tournament at the Amana Colonies, and a 79 in an 18-hole tournament held in Fairfield.

?I?m hoping that this will give me that confidence that will help me shoot well for the team,? Anding said. ?We have sectionals, conference and districts, so hopefully we?ll make it to state.?

Despite the hot streak, Anding still knows that lower scores are well within his ability.

?We can get a lot lower,? he said. ?I haven?t shot well at all this year, and I know I can get at least five strokes lower.?

According to Berhow, it isn?t just Anding who can improve as the team prepares for sectionals.

?I think we can get three or four strokes better to a person,? Berhow said. ?I think all six golfers we have are capable of scoring in the 30s and 70s. If we can get to that point, that?ll be a result of taking some extra time and staying focused on what we want to accomplish.?

Washington?s meet on Friday at the Amana Colonies was a nice preview of the district course the Demons hope to be playing at after sectional competition at Flint Hills Golf Course in Burlington.

If the Demons are able to advance to the second round of tournaments, they have a good idea what to expect.

?Now we know what club to hit,? Anding said. ?There?s going to be a lot of timber all the way around, so it?s a matter of hitting it straight.?

The big key to advancing is playing what Berhow called ?position golf? and not necessarily hitting the ball as far as possible.

?Course management is a big, big thing for us,? Berhow said. ?We?ve been working on what clubs to hit, so we?re in the fairway. Maybe we don?t use the driver all the time, so we are in the fairway. The guys we watched that were playing well hit a short iron and then had a good shot to the green. We can play position golf instead of going out and hitting the ball, and get good scores.?

The Demons will have an opportunity to build confidence on Saturday when they hold their home tournament at the Washington Golf and Country Club at 9 a.m., before going to Fairfield on Tuesday for the conference tournament.