Staff writer
Hillsboro High School golfer Devin Dick shot the best round of golf in his career Friday during the Marion County Invitational tournament.
Dick scored a 78 in 18 holes at Marion. He shot 39 on each nine hole stretch. It was the first time Dick had ever broke 80 in 18 holes.
“It’s more the way I would expect him to play,” head coach Scott O’Hare said. “It’s more the way he’s capable.”
O’Hare said Dick struggled in competition during the early part of the season. With the work ethic showed in practice, O’Hare expected Dick to shoot consistently in the low 80s and upper 70s this year.
“It’s nerves in competition,” O’Hare said. “He works at it in practice. He’s just more relaxed.”
However, Dick started to turn around his game last week at the Sacred Heart Invitational Tournament in Salina. Facing torrential weather conditions, Dick placed fourth in the tournament. Although he took a slight step back shooting in the 90s at Halstead on May 1, Dick carried positive momentum into rounds on Friday.
Unfortunately Dick’s hard luck had not completely reversed. In a stacked field, Dick’s score in Marion was good enough for a four-way tie for sixth place. The top score in Marion was a 70 shot by Gage Scheer of Cheney.
In a short playoff Dick was bested and placed ninth.
After the 10-mile turn, Dick continued his consistent play in Hillsboro where he again shot a 39 on his front nine. He shot a 46 on the back nine and finished tied for 11th place in the tournament, 163. Scheer also won the tournament with a score of 143.
O’Hare said the difference for Dick on the back nine in Hillsboro was one bad hole that drove up his score. It was endemic of how the Hillsboro team has performed this season.
“They’re so close to improving scores if they just eliminated a few bad shots,” O’Hare said.
Overall for the tournament, the team effort was marked by inconsistency.
“It was a roller coaster ride for the Hillsboro golfers,” O’Hare said. “Casie Allen hit his low 18 hole score of his career at Hillsboro in the afternoon, but struggled over at Marion. Kyler Borg played nine decent holes at both sites, including a back nine of 41 at Marion in the morning, but struggled on the other nine holes at both sites. Evan Ollenburger just had a rough day and never really got into a rhythm.”