Louisburg junior Hogan Welch eyes a putt during the regional tournament on May 18 in Osawatomie. Welch shot a 79 during the Class 4A state tournament at Turkey Creek Golf Course on Wednesday in McPherson and finished 40th overall.

MCPHERSON – Hogan Welch took to the Turkey Creek Golf Course for the first time last week to tune up for his first state golf tournament.

Mother Nature had other plans and interrupted Welch’s practice round and delayed the Class 4A state golf tournament a day. Welch was unable to finish the course and left him guessing on how part of it played.

It all seemed to work out for Welch on Wednesday as he finished with a 79 to finish 40th overall out of the 102 golfers to compete on the McPherson course.

“The state golf experience was awesome,” Welch said. “It’s so cool to represent your school in state competition and to compete with kids from all of Kansas rather than just the schools in our league. Obviously you’re always going to leave a few strokes out there and shots that you wish you could have back but to shoot in the 70s at state, I’m beyond happy with that.”

Welch hit the links for a practice round last Monday in hopes to get a feel for the course. He played the first 11, but was unable to finish the last seven holes thanks to heavy rains.

The tournament was then delayed due to some flooding on the course, but it wasn’t all bad for Welch.

“It didn’t bother me too much and gave me another day to prepare my short game which was definitely helpful,” he said.

Turkey Creek was one of tougher courses Welch played on this season, and one hole in particular gave him a little trouble. However, like at regionals, Welch was able to bounce back and responded with two birdies on the back nine.

“Turkey Creek was an awesome course and it was really fun to play,” Welch said. “It was certainly challenging and I definitely had to work to save par a few times. Most of the problems it caused me came on Hole 5, the No. 1 handicap hole, which is a long par-4 with a creek that forces you to lay up to about 200.

“I hit a terrible tee shot, then my second went in the water, my fourth shot ended up under a tree and I punched my fifth over the green and ultimately carded an 8. It was ugly to say the least.”

Welch shot a 38 on the front nine and 41 on the back with the help of those two birdies to finish the tournament on a positive note.

The Louisburg junior hopes to parlay this opportunity into an even better result for his final season the Wildcat golf team.

“This should be a great experience to lean on next year,” Welch said. “It’s always good to perform well in a pressure situation and it helps build confidence as well. I enjoyed competing at state and it has given me something to work toward next year.”

Buhler ran away with the state tournament title as it shot a 293 to win by 17 strokes. Rose Hill was second with a 310. Frontier League teams De Soto and Ottawa shot a 326 and 339, respectively, to take seventh and 11th overall.

Buhler’s Mac McNish shot a 67 to win the individual state title and Piper’s Eric Pahls was second with a 70.

Louisburg junior Hogan Welch shoots onto the green on hole No. 18 on Monday during the Class 4A regional tournament at Osawatomie Golf Course. Welch carded an 85 and earned a spot in the state tournament.

OSAWATOMIE – As the final group of golfers came in, all Hogan Welch could do was wait and think about all his missed chances.

Whether it was the hole where he lost his ball, or the several missed putts down the stretch, Welch was hoping those mistakes wouldn’t hurt his chances at a state tournament appearance.

They didn’t.

The Louisburg junior earned a spot in the Class 4A state tournament Monday as he finished with an 85 at the regional tournament at the Osawatomie Golf Course. The top two teams and the top five other individuals qualify for state.

“I felt like I didn’t play as good as I could have, but I held it together and I didn’t lose my cool like maybe I could have,” Welch said. “I think keeping my composure was probably key in being able to qualify for state. I am definitely happy to make it.”

Welch’s 85 turned out to be the cut line for those individual qualifiers. Ottawa won the regional with a 324 and Iola was second with a 328.

“I told Hogan he would have to shoot an 82 to go to State and he missed two short putts on the last two holes and probably thought that he would miss it again like last year by one stroke,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “Thank goodness he didn’t. He didn’t play his best golf, but it was enough.”

Fort Scott’s Conner Antonetti had the best score on the day with a 78 on the par 71 course and was the first individual to qualify. Paola’s Tanner Thomas shot an 84 to earn the second spot and three golfers, including Welch, shot an 85 to grab the last three spots.

“I knew I was in contention there, but I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it,” Welch said. “I had my chances to secure it a little more, but I just had to wait and see. It was a relief.”

Welch didn’t have the best start to his day as he lost his tee shot on the third hole, and after not being able to find it after five minutes, he had to tee off again and carded an eight.

He seemed to bounce back just fine as he followed it up with two birdies, including one on the next hole.

“Those birdies were huge for me confidence-wise and being able to stay in it,” Welch said.

Welch’s trip to state became a little more in doubt as he missed short putts on his final two holes that made it a little more nerve-racking.

“My putting is just horrible right now,” Welch said. “They were short putts, but they were a little more difficult than what it looked, but I still should have made them. I definitely need to keep working on that.”

As for the rest of the Louisburg team, the Wildcats struggled at times but still finished fourth in the team standings with a 362. Sophomore Ty Martin and junior T.J. Svoboda tied for second on the team with a 92.

Senior Brady Lambeth bounced back with a strong back nine to finish with a 93 to end his Wildcat career. Fellow seniors T.J. Smith and Logan Glenn shot a 95 and 99, respectively, to round out the Louisburg scores.

Welch will continue his season Tuesday when he travels to McPherson and Turkey Creek Golf Course for the Class 4A state tournament. Golfers will tee off at 8:30 a.m.

“I look for him to shoot in the high 70’s at state if conditions are right and if he can put it all together,” Burns said. “He has been playing great golf.”

Louisburg senior Brady Lambeth follows through on a tee shot during a tournament earlier this season. Lambeth finished with a season-best 79 on Monday in Ottawa.

OTTAWA – The Louisburg High School golf team put together one of its better performances of the season and it was thanks to a couple of seniors.

At the Ottawa Invitational on Monday, seniors Brady Lambeth and Logan Glenn each recorded scores in the 70s and helped the Wildcats to a third place finish with a 320. The score earned Louisburg a team medal as they were just one stroke out of first place.

Ottawa and Piper each finished with a 319, but Ottawa won the tiebreaker to finish first at its home tournament. Paola was fourth with a 322.

“I did not expect them to get so close to Ottawa who always plays outstanding on their course,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “Also, Paola is tough. I was very proud of the guys.”

Glenn shot a 78 to lead Louisburg, which was good enough to medal eighth. Lambeth, on the other hand, had his best performance of the season as he carded a 79 to get his first medal of the season and took 10^th overall.

“Brady shot 1-under on five holes during practice at our course,” Burns said. “It was a good time for him to shoot in the 70’s at Ottawa. I was hoping he could shoot well on this course. He helped the team get a medal.”

Piper’s Erick Pahls shot a 74 to win the individual crown on the par 71 course. Central Heights’ Matt Percy was second with a 75.

As for Louisburg, sophomore Ty Martin shot an 81 to finish 16^th overall and just missed out on a medal. Junior Hogan Welch carded an 82 to finish 19^th.

Fellow junior T.J. Svoboda shot an 83 to take 20^th. Senior T.J. Smith rounded out the Wildcat team with a 90 to come in 28^th overall.

Louisburg returns to the links next week for two tournaments. The Wildcats will travel to Garnett on Tuesday for the Anderson County Invitational and then to the Linn Valley Golf Course on Thursday for Prairie View’s home tournament.

Louisburg senior Brady Lambeth eyes an upcoming putt during the Wildcats’ home tournament last week. Lambeth and the Wildcats finished third at the Frontier League tournament.

SHAWNEE – Fresh off its victory in the Louisburg Invitational the day before, the Louisburg golf team tried to carry that momentum into the Spring Hill Invitational.

The invitational, which also served as the Frontier League Tournament, was held Tuesday at Shawnee Golf and Country Club. Although it wasn’t a first-place finish, the Wildcats still finished third in the league with a 355.

Paola won the league title with a 334 and De Soto was a stroke behind to take second with a 335. In the Spring Hill Invitational team standings, Mill Valley won going away with a 314.

Louisburg took to a course some were unfamiliar with and found it difficult at times.

“We have been close to competing with De Soto and Paola, and 20 strokes away during league was disappointing,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “From what my golfers said, putting was difficult for them and they did not get a good feel for them during practicing before the tournament and had much longer first putts than they are used to. There was a bunch of three-putting and even some four-putts. Most of them said their driving was pretty good for the tight conditions.”

The Wildcats still earned two medals as junior Hogan Welch and sophomore Ty Martin were among the Frontier League’s top golfers.

Martin led Louisburg with an 83 to take 14^th individually and sixth in the league standings. Welch shot an 86 to finish 19^th overall and ninth in the league.

De Soto’s Daniel Lee won the individual league crown with a 78 and teammate Jacob Kerr was second with an 80. Piper’s Erick Pahls won the tournament with a 73 on the par 72 course and Central Heights’ Matt Percy was second with a 75.

Louisburg junior T.J. Svoboda finished third on the Wildcat team with a 91, while seniors Logan Glenn and Brady Lambeth each shot a 95. Senior T.J. Smith rounded out the Wildcat team with a 104.

The Wildcats returned to action today at the Ottawa Invitational. Louisburg’s next tournament will be May 12 when it travels to Garnett for the Anderson County Invitational.

Louisburg senior Logan Glenn makes his way onto the green after this shot on the fairway Monday during the Louisburg Invitational at Metcalf Ridge Golf Course. Glenn won the individual title with a 78 while the Wildcat team finished first with a 325.

Logan Glenn had a hard time containing his excitement and for good reason.

Not only did Glenn help the Louisburg golf team to a first-place finish at the Louisburg Invitational on Monday, but he put together his best performance of the season. Glenn won the individual title with a season-best 78.

Glenn, who was Louisburg’s No. 5 golfer, tied with teammate Ty Martin and De Soto’s Daniel Lee, but won the tiebreaker. Lee would go on to finish second and Martin medaled third at Metcalf Ridge Golf Course.

“Logan has been playing his best golf this year,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “We always need that to help our team score, and he knows this. He cares about his teammates and tries to be consistent with his game. I am glad he played well.”

Senior T.J. Smith chips onto the green Monday during the Louisburg Invitational.

All of the Wildcats had a hard time containing their excitement following the team title as they posed for team pictures and later posted it all over social media. As a team, Louisburg shot a 325 to defeat second-place De Soto by seven strokes in the six-team tournament.

“It was great to win at home,” Burns said. “The nice weather allowed us to get more comfortable in shot selection on not just the front nine, but also the back nine during practice. The guys were excited to show it off too.”

Like Glenn, Martin had his best score of the season as well. The Louisburg sophomore felt comfortable on his home course as did junior Hogan Welch.

Welch was the team’s third medalist as he shot an 82 to finish eighth overall and has been the team’s most consistent golfer all season.

“Ty and Hogan have held the team together this year,” Burns said. “I would be surprised if they did not go to state golf this year.”

The rest of the Wildcat team also had solid outings. Junior T.J. Svoboda shot an 87 to get fourth on the Wildcat team.

Senior Brady Lambeth shot an 89 and fellow senior T.J. Smith finished with a 90 to round out the Louisburg team scores.

The Wildcats return to action Monday when they travel to the Ottawa Invitational. Tee time is set for 2 p.m.

Hogan Welch watches his tee shot during the Osawatomie Invitational on Tuesday. Welch shot an 82 to medal 12th overall and teammate Logan Glenn shot an 84 to medal 18th.

OSAWATOMIE – The Louisburg golf team competed in its largest tournament to date Tuesday when it traveled to the Osawatomie Invitational.

The Wildcats finished sixth overall in the 18-team tournament as 95 golfers hit the links at Osawatomie Golf Course. When it was all over, Louisburg medaled two in the top 20 and finished with a score of 342.

Junior Hogan Welch and senior Logan Glenn were the top Wildcat golfers as they finished 12^th and 18^th, respectively.

“Whenever you can have four golfers shoot in the 80’s when stroke and distance is involved, I am pretty happy,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “One of my top three golfers shot in the 90’s to find out he had the flu and missed school the next day. I believe we could’ve had one more score in the lower 80’s that would have medaled the team for the tournament.”

Welch had a good tournament as he was just a couple strokes off a top-10 finish. He finished with an 82 to lead Louisburg. Welch shot a 44 on the first nine holes, but rebounded with a 38 on the back.

“Hogan has played great this year on the back nine holes,” Burns said. “If he could put his front nine together he would be in the 70’s. I am pleased with his game. He has worked really hard with getting more distance than when I first coached him.”

Logan Glenn watches his tee shot during the Osawatomie Invitational on Tuesday at Osawatomie Golf Course.

Glenn had his best tournament of the season as he fired an 84 on the par 71 course, including 40 on the back nine.

“Logan has been playing well because he knows when he is hitting the ball wrong for a few holes, he knows how to fix it better than last year,” Burns said. “I ask the golfers what spot they want to be placed in many times to lessen the pressure of the tournament. Sometimes if they play with someone they know, they can relax more. Others that play with better players, it makes them compete harder. My golfers have different personalities, but are all fun to coach.”

Senior T.J. Smith and sophomore Ty Martin also had their ups and downs, but still finished with an 88. Smith played in his first varsity competition of the season.

Brady Lambeth, a senior, carded a 94 as he shot a 47 on each nine. Junior T.J. Svoboda rounded out the Wildcat team with a 96.

Louisburg returns to action Monday when it gets a chance to compete on its home course – Metcalf Ridge – for its home tournament. Tee time is set for 1 p.m.

Louisburg’s Ty Martin chips onto the green Monday during the Paola Invitational at Paola Country Club. Martin shot an 86 to lead the Wildcats to a third-place team finish.

PAOLA – For the second straight week, the Louisburg golf team brought home a top three team finish and two individual medalists.

The Wildcats welcomed back Ty Martin to the fold as he made his season debut and it was a good one. On Monday at the Paola Invitational, Martin led the Wildcats as he medaled 12th overall with an 86 and helped Louisburg to a third place finish with a 357.

Martin missed the team’s opening tournament at Gardner and the Wildcats placed third as a team there as well.

“We missed out on having Ty at our first tournament,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “We would have gotten second or possibly even first.”

Martin wasn’t the only Wildcat to come home with a medal as Hogan Welch was right behind Martin and took 14th after he shot an 88.

Central Heights’ Matt Percy was the top individual medalist with a 76 and Paola’s Tyler Dent was second with a 77 on his home course at Paola Country Club. Paola also won the team crown with a 319 and Kansas City Christian was second with a 334.

The Wildcats were welcomed with some tough playing conditions as the wet course gave all six golfers some problems, especially on the first nine holes. Louisburg, however, was able to adjust and shoot well on the back nine.

T.J. Svoboda chips his way onto the green during the Paola Invitational on Monday at Paola Country Club

“All the golfers at Paola were faced with stroke and distance and some soggy conditions,” Burns said. “Also, there were some pretty fast greens. We have been putting on slower greens by placing the ball a club length from the flight where it went out of bounds. You could tell with the difference of the scores as most golfers were shooting higher than normal.

“If you averaged out our scores, the team would be in the high 80’s under the new conditions. I was happy with their play.”

Brady Lambeth finished third on the Wildcat team with a 91, while Nathan Moore and T.J. Svoboda each shot a 92. Logan Glenn rounded out the team with a 93.

The Wildcats are hoping for better conditions and better scores Tuesday when they travel to the Osawatomie Invitational. Tee time is set for 1 p.m.

“We need to get back to the short game more this week and get confidence in a couple players’ driving and we should be ready to go for the Osawatomie tournament,” Burns said.

GARDNER – The Louisburg golf team didn’t need to shake off much rust in its first tournament of the season.

Louisburg competed in the 12-team Gardner-Edgerton Invitational on Monday in Gardner and the Wildcats finished third in the team standings with a 327. The Wildcats also had two individual medalists.

Junior Hogan Welch had a strong performance his first time out as he finished sixth with a 77 and fellow junior T.J. Svoboda was 10th with a 78 on the par 71 course.

The drizzly and windy conditions caused problems for some teams, but the Wildcats were able to adjust and put together a good team performance.

“We did not have one score in the 100’s and had two in the 70’s, so I was very happy,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “We were missing Ty Martin and I know we would have got second if he would have been able to make it.

“The course was in good condition. It took a while for some of the guys to work with the brakes and speeds of the greens. The wind made it more difficult, but the dampness helped with the approach shots.”

Welch started his day a little rocky, but finished it strong as he shot an even par on the back nine to secure his first medal of the season. Svoboda, like Welch, shot a 41 on his first nine holes, but was just 1-over par on the final nine.

“Hogan shot even par on the back because he got his short game going which we have dedicated our time to this season,” Burns said. “T.J. has been working at the course (Metcalf Ridge) and playing a lot of golf when he is done with work. He has put in the work to become a better golfer.”

Senior Logan Glenn was next on the team with an 82 and finished 18th overall. Another senior, Brady Lambeth shot a 90 and finished 30th.

Sophomore Nick Welch finished with a 92 and senior Nathan Moore shot a 96 to round out the Wildcat team scores.

“I believe all the golfers having good weather to practice and dedication to the short game really helped the beginning of the season scores,” Burns said. “Also, our course (Metcalf Ridge) can be difficult, so playing an easier course helped our scores.”

Paola shot a 320 to win the tournament by four strokes. De Soto was second with a 324. Paola’s Tyler Dent took home top individual honors with a 74 and De Soto’s Jacob Kerr was second with a 75.

Louisburg hits the links again Monday when it travels to Paola Country Club for the Paola Invitational. Tee time is set for 3 p.m.

The Louisburg High School golf team will have five seniors on the roster along with plenty of underclassmen with experience this season. The Wildcats open their season Monday when they travel to Gardner.

Photo courtesy of Expressions Midwest

Just looking at the roster, the Louisburg golf team features one with a lot of experience.

There are five seniors listed competing for the six varsity spots along with a few underclassmen. However, three of those seniors weren’t a part of last season’s team.

Senior newcomers Mesa Ribordy, T.J. Smith and Brady Lambeth will hit the links for the first time in a Wildcat uniform and will join veterans Nathan Moore and Logan Glenn when Louisburg opens its season next week.

“They are all very athletic and listen well to instructions,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “All of these guys are competing for the six varsity spots every week.”

Joining the five seniors will be some seasoned underclassmen. Juniors Hogan Welch and T.J. Svoboda, along with sophomore Nick Welch, all saw varsity time last season.

Hogan Welch was one of the Wildcats’ top golfers in 2014 as he missed the state tournament by just two strokes. He also finished fifth in the Frontier League tournament.

Burns believes Hogan and his other golfers have a chance to do some good things this season.

“My expectations are for all of the varsity golfers to shoot around an average of 86,” Burns said. “All of the varsity golfers have all aspects of the game, if they can just omit that one bad hole on the front and back nines.”

The good weather has also allowed the Wildcats to spend a lot of time on the course, which has helped to sharpen their game.

“Practices have been up and down with scores,” Burns said. “However, (Monday) was a good day for all of the varsity players. Hopefully they can keep that focus from here to the finish. They are starting to get more comfortable with their short game, which is helping.”

Louisburg opens its season at 9 a.m. on Monday when it travels to the Gardner Invitational.

LOUISBURG HIGH SCHOOL GOLF SCHEDULE

Apr. 6                                          @ Gardner                                                       9 a.m.

Apr. 13                                        @ Paola                                                            3 p.m.

Apr. 14                                        @ Gardner (Junior Varsity)                           3 p.m.

Apr. 20                                        @ Anderson County (JV)                          2 p.m.

Apr. 21                                        @ Osawatomie                                               1 p.m.

Apr. 27                                        Louisburg Invitational                                    1 p.m.

Apr. 28                                        @Shawnee Golf Course (League)            8 a.m.

May 4                                         @ Ottawa                                                        2 p.m.

May 6                                         @ Osawatomie (JV)                                       3 p.m.

May 11                                       @ Ottawa (JV)                                                 3 p.m.

May 12                                       @ Anderson County                                       1 p.m.

May 12                                       @ Paola (JV)                                                    3 p.m.

May 14                                       @ Prairie View (Linn Valley)                         1:30 p.m.

May 18                                       @ Regionals (@Osawatomie)                      TBA