Pesky Washington gets Fairfield, back again Saturday

Fairfield Golf and Country Club will be overrun with the sound of golf balls flying off the tee early Saturday morning as FHS is set to host the eight-team Fairfield Invite putting 48 golfers on the course.

Class 3A second-ranked Washington, No. 9 Mount Pleasant, Fort Madison, Keokuk, Centerville, Albia and Oskaloosa will join 2008 champion and eighth-ranked Fairfield to make a very competitive field. In the Trojan?s sights in particular will be Washington and Mount Pleasant ? two teams that are expected to compete with Fairfield for the conference crown. Albia could also find themselves in the mix and have already marked down a win against the Trojans on their home course.

Fairfield enters with a season average of 163.6 per nine holes after that number was dropped by five strokes with Fairfield?s lowest score of the season (156) in a dual loss at Washington on Thursday. Last year, Kyle Menke and Derek Byrnes both finished fourth for the Trojans, but after somewhat of slow start, Menke seems to have his swing in order just in time after firing a season-low 33 on Thursday.

Freshman Davis Lowenberg has stepped in well to his varsity role and given a much-needed boost to the Fairfield lineup and even received medalist honors at Mount Pleasant last month. Jordan Leazer, Cody Kool and Colton Fry complete the Fairfield group ? any of them possess the ability to contribute to the team score on a given night.

Washington enters as the odds-on favorite and a team on a mission. The Demons have already broken the school record twice this season and hold a team average of 148.5. Individually, five Washington golfers have a mean score in the 30?s including senior Braden Gaal (36.0) who placed ninth at the state meet last year and 16th as a sophomore and is currently the third ranked individual in Class 3A. Derek Bynes leads Fairfield ranked No. 22, Menke is No. 27.Rounding out the Demon attack is Joe Harris (37.6), Kyle Blakeney (38.4), Nick Witthoft (39.8) and Alex Thode (39.8) putting a target on Washington?s back.

Mount Pleasant comes in with a 2-4 record, but three of those losses have come from Washington (twice) and Fairfield (once). Fairfield clipped the Panthers with a three-stroke victory on April 23 at Mount Pleasant Country Club. Matt Barton leads a crew of five seniors that are shooting an average of 164 this season. Cameron Becker and Mike McCabe.

For complete story, read the Friday, May 1, 2009 Fairfield Ledger.