NorthWood’s Cooper Wiens chips to the 18th green Tuesday during play at the Joe Harris Invite at Rozella Ford Golf Club. InkFreeNews photo by Mike Deak.

Joe Harris Shootout

Rozella Ford played host to the Joe Harris Shootout on Tuesday evening. Golfers from Warsaw, NorthWood, Triton, Plymouth and Rochester challenged the par 70, 18 hole course.

Former long-time Warsaw golf coach Joe Harris and his extended family were recognized for their deep contribution to golf in the Warsaw community.

Warsaw varsity took home the team title, firing an aggregate 328, which was seven strokes better than its nearest competition, NorthWood varsity, which carded a team 335. Triton varsity narrowly beat Warsaw’s JV and Plymouth varsity by one stroke, finishing with a 345 to take third place.

Following Warsaw JV’s and Plymouth varsity’s twin 345s were Rochester varsity  (356), Triton JV (378), NorthWood JV (393) and Warsaw C-team (426).

Individually, Plymouth’s Bennett Christy carded a plus-three 73. He was followed dual 77s turned in by  Triton’s Cole McKinney and NorthWood’s Jon Cripe.

Christy’s round Tuesday tied a couple of Plymouth program records, according to Pilgrim head coach Ben Waymouth. He tied his own 18 hole record for fewest putts, 25. His previous was in 2019 at the NLC tournament. He also became the fourth player since 2017 to record four birdies in an 18 hole round.

Warsaw’s top individual scores came from Ben Brander and Aidan Bowell, who each finished at 81. Warsaw Black’s championship came as a result of remarkable team consistency, with Jack Yeager and Tucker Carlile turning in an 82 and 84, respectively.

Lady Lancers finish fifth at league championships

Grace’s women’s golf team wrapped up the Crossroads League Championships on Tuesday, ending the tournament in fifth place.

After two consistent rounds on Monday of 326 and 327, the cold, windy conditions made golf much tougher on Tuesday. Eight of the nine teams had their worst round on Tuesday, the majority by at least 10 strokes.

Rebecca Hawes had the team’s lowest total for the NAIA No. 25-ranked Lady Lancers. She was remarkably consistent, producing a scoreline of 80-82-82 to finish in 17th place.

Lucy Young (80-82-83) was also a steady hand, and Carolyn Pacocha (80-78-87) tied her for 19th place overall.

Rachel Harvey carded 86-85-89 as Grace’s fourth golfer, and Abby Slabaugh played the first and third rounds (91-93).

“We had to fight high winds and cold temperatures, and it’s great to see this team continue to fight and grow throughout the year,” said Grace head coach Denny Duncan. “This team has very exciting times ahead.”

Grace’s season may not be complete, however. The Lady Lancers are aiming for an at-large bid to the NAIA National Championships, held May 25-28 in Oklahoma City, Okla. The NAIA qualifiers will be announced on May 13.