Golfers battle elements

Some of the top golfers in Northern California and Nevada converged on Silver Oak Golf Club ready to shoot red numbers.

Thanks to winds of more than 40 miles per hour, they never had the chance.

Only two golfers - Zach Beebe (75) and Anthony Pair (79) both from Spanish Springs - broke 80 on the first day of the 16th annual Carson Invitational Wednesday afternoon.

Thanks to Beebe and Pair, Spanish Springs I shot a respectable 407. Spanish Springs II and Nevada Union are at 427, followed by Fallon 428 and Carson 438.

Most of the post-round talk centered on the weather, and rightfully so. Even the players from the Silver State said it was the worst weather they had ever played in.

"It was really bad," said Carson's Jonathan Singer, who shot a 9-over 81. "It started to hail on the back side. At a point it got to where it wasn't fun anymore, and you just had to laugh at your bad shots.

"It affected iron play (the most). You hit a perfect shot and the wind takes it everywhere. On No. 10 I thought I hit a perfect gap wedge and the wind took it way left."

The tournament wraps up this morning (8:30) at Eagle Valley, and Carson coach Rod Butler knows that it will be difficult for anybody to catch Spanish Springs.

"It (the team score) was OK," Butler said. "Not being able to take Jordan's score (Rogers, 84) hurt a little bit. We would have been in second (actually third) if we'd been able to.

"I was pleased with the way Zack (Rispin) and Jonathan (Singer) played. Sam played a consistent round. What I'm looking for is being consistent every time they go out. I'm not worried about Spanish Springs. I expect them to play that way."

Rispin finished with an 83 and Staub shot 87. Ryan Livermore finished with a 93 and Isaac Holt had a 94. Rogers played on Carson's second team because he wasn't playing today because of a previous commitment. With his score, Carson's score would have been 10 strokes lower had he been on the starting group.

Singer started with four straight pars, but doubled the par-4 359-yard fifth hole when he 3-putted. He parred the treacherous 182-yard par-3 sixth thanks to a brilliant 2-iron that left him with a 6-footer which he missed. He finished the front with a par at No. 8 and a three-put bogey on the par-5 ninth.

Singer double-bogeyed the par-4 10th when his second shot found the greenside bunker and he blasted his shot over the green. He pitched on and then two-putted. Another double-bogey at No. 12 put him at 8-over-par.

The Carson left-hander got a stroke back when he birdied the 553-yard 15th using a driver, 6-iron and lob wedge which left him with a tap-in. He gave the stroke back on No. 16 with a bogey.

"Oh definitely," Singer said when asked if he was happy with his score. "I missed five putts I'd never miss. On short putts you couldn't stay still."

For Rispin, it seemed to be a case of feast or famine.

The Senator standout, who was coming off a 2-under-par 70 at Wildcreek, shot a 6-over 41 on the front. Most of the damage was done on two holes - No. 4 and No. 6.

On the 4th, a short 321-yard par-4, Rispin sliced his drive out of bounds. After hitting a second tee shot, Rispin's approach shot landed 5 feet from the flat. However he couldn't get the putt to drop.

Rispin topped a 3-wood off the 6th tee and then left his second tee shot in the right rough. A great chip left him 4 feet short, but he missed another short putt. He bogeyed the par-4 8th and then parred No. 9.

He was 5-over-par through the first six holes on the back side, but he parred the final five holes of his round.

"That was about the best I could do (in this weather)," Rispin said. "I would have liked to have shot 80. On the back I missed a few 4-footers."

• Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling (775) 881-1281