Demons ’salvage’ win over SEC rivals

The word salvage has six definitions in the Random House College Dictionary Revised edition.

The word meant one thing for the Washington High School boys golf team Monday at the Washington Golf and Country Club - victory.

Brock Sobaski salvaged his round well enough to get meet medalist honors with a 40 on the par 36 course, which helped the Demons to a 178 team score, edging Fairfield (179) by a single stroke. keokuk had a 227.

'My round wasn't great,” Sobaski said. 'It started off average. There were a few holes where I was able to salvage par. Salvaging those pars really helped me.”

Most of those six definitions have to do with saving. It's funny to hear the day's best golfer talk about saving since he bettered the field, although Fairfield's Jackson Wheaton was a stroke behind as the runner-up with a 41.

'Something that I'm going to talk about with the guys is that when they're out on the course, they don't realize or put into perspective that just one shot can be the difference,” Washington head coach Collin Stark said. 'Of course, there's always strokes that you want back. The key is how we respond to that. When you don't hit the shot you want, that is always going to happen in a round. You just have to think next shot.”

And when that next shot gets one out of trouble from the previous shot, one could say that salvaged their play on that hole.

'You could make the argument that the most important shot is off off of the tee or you could make the argument that the second shot is the most important, but in reality, ehatever is your next shot is the shot that is the most important,” Stark said. 'Where ever you are, you got to make the next shot. The last shot doesn't matter, you have to regroup and make this next shot your best shot.

'And that is exactly how you salvage a round or salvage a shot or salvage a hole.”

Caleb Tanner had the third best round on the day and second best among the Demons. He shot a 43.

'I did not start off too great,” he said. 'The first couple shots I had were just not any good, so I thought it was going to be a bad day. But next I was able to salvage a couple pars, so that got me encouraged.”

Tanner also has added motivation when he plays since his sister is on the Demons team.

'My sister and I are very competitive,” he said. 'We go back-and-forth. We keep track of each other's scores and we are always trying to beat each other. It helps motivate me a little bit knowing she is that good. It is a definite motivator.”

His sister, Josie, has also mentioned wanting to beat her brother's scores. They have been playing for more than five years.

So who is the better golfer?

'I don't know if I can say who is the better golfer because neither of us would agree on that. It is always back-and-forth. I would say that is definitely how it always goes in our house. We don't play together. She doesn't like that. That's just how competitive it is.”

Competition can't help but make one better.

'Caleb shot a 41 earlier this season, but this might be his best round at home,” Stark said.

The Demons will have an advantage when the conference meet is conducted because it will be at their home course, although after Monday's round, Brady Knutson was heard asking if conference could be somewhere else. He shot a 46. Grant Sobaski carded a 49 and John Prohaska a 56.

'Brady just had a bad day,” Stark said. 'He has to get over the thinking of bad thoughts. Grant had a great score because it was the first time in the 40s. It's all about the process. The process of where he started and where he needs to get to. He's been in the 60s and now he's in the 40s.”

Brock Sobaski said his best hole was No. 6 even though he sliced his tee shot.

'I had a great flop shot over a tree. I had a birdie putt that I missed, but it was still a good hole since I got a par. I had quite a few birdie putts but I didn't make any of them. That's how golf works.”

Just work on the salvage of a shot, then the round will be better and the score will be better.

Sobaski's last hole was his worst yet he salvaged a bogey.

'I had a decent drive up the left-hand side, which was where I wanted to be. I had a pretty good wedge shot from 64 yards. I had a 15-foot birdie putt. I left that really short. I had five feet left and blew that right by the hole. That kind of summarized my putting for the round.”

He took more shots on the green then he did getting there. 'Exactly, that's what I did all day.”

Tanner was only four-over par going into the last three holes. 'Then I went downhill from there. I was four over on the last three. It was because of my short game. I ended with a three putt. I had a really bad chip on hole six that just kind of ruined my round for me.”

A 'ruined” round ends up as the third best score on the day so yet another salvage was accomplished.

The Demons play next with another home meet, today against Sigourney.