Carson battles, but a disappointing finish

Carson High's golf season came to a disappointing end on a wind-blown Tuesday afternoon at Genoa Lakes.

Not only did the Senators fail to make a return trip to this year's NIAA 4A State Tournament, but Jonathan Singer, despite finishing par-birdie, missed by one shot of making it as an individual.

The Senators finished fourth with an 828. As expected, Spanish Springs rolled to an easy win. The Cougars shot 786 followed by Galena 818 and Bishop Manogue at 827.

The top two teams and the top five individuals plus ties not on advancing teams move on to next week's state event at the TPC-Canyons Course in Las Vegas.

Spanish Springs' Ren Wilson (152) was the tourney's medalist, nosing out teammate Zach Beebe by a single shot.

Douglas' Thomas Wicker (155), South Tahoe's Kyle Mazzoni (156), Manogue's Donald Carano (157), Wooster's Bobby McCracken (158) and Elko's duo of Chris Moore (159) and Ryan Blair (159) qualified as individuals.

Meanwhile, Carson's season is over a week earlier than the players and coach Rod Butler expected.

"Overall we had a good season," Butler said. " Our goal every year is to make state. Not to make it is disappointing. We didn't shoot ourselves out of it. We got outplayed. I was pleased with the 418 (third-best team score of the day). They competed.

"I'm disappointed for Jonathan. He did what he needed to do the last two holes and missed by a shot. Individually, I thought Zack (Rispin) and Jonathan had the best shot at advancing."

Rispin, a senior, tied for 15th with a 36-hole total of 163 after shooting a second-round 82. He finished three strokes away from a state berth. Teammate Isaac Holt missed the promised land by four shots despite a respectable 81. Jordan Rogers had an 82, while Ryan Livermore and Sam Staub were at 86 and 87, respectively, in the second round.

"It's very disappointing we're not going," Rispin said. "Everybody out there battled. It was tough to score well today (because of the wind). It wasn't as good as we could have done, but we did OK. We could have done better, but we could have done a lot worse.

"Individually, it was very disappointing. I've never been this mad about a golf match before. This is the best I've hit the ball, but I couldn't make a putt."

Rispin did have two birdies - at the 149-yard 12th hole which goes over water and at No. 8 when he chipped in from 20 yards. He said he had 38 putts, including four three-putt greens.

If anybody had the right to be steamed, it was Singer, who shot a first-day 75 and seemed to be a cinch to make it as an individual.

"I felt like I got unlucky a couple of times," Singer said. "That was the most horrible wind we played in all year, and we've played on some bad days. I felt like the wind played a role in my head."

Singer, who like the rest of the field started on No.10, played a solid first nine holes. He had a birdie on the par-3 17th. He double-bogeyed the short 329-yard par-4 11th when he four-putted from 20 feet. He had three pars and three bogeys.

"I read the downhill (green) at 11," Singer said. "I forgot the wind was coming at us."

Singer parred Nos. 1 and 2, but disaster struck on the 419-yard dogleg par-4. Singer hit a sensational drive that ended up well over 300 yards. His second shot sailed over the green and ended up in a hazard. Singer took a penalty stroke, and instead of playing a chip-and-run shot, he opted to try and carry the ball all the way down to the pin. He chipped it all the way to the fringe and then three-putted.

"It (the shot after hitting into the hazard) felt like a flyer," Singer said.

After a par at No. 4, Singer took another 7 on the 393-yard par-4 5th. After a bogey on the par-3 6th, he took a double-bogey at the par-4 7th thanks to a three-putt.

He two-putted from more than 40 feet for par, and had a one-putt birdie on No. 9.

Wicker, who opened with a 2-over-par 74 despite three-putting three consecutive greens on Monday at the Genoa Resort Course, shot an 81. He was the top player not on an advancing team.

The key for Wicker was staying away from any big numbers. He did double-bogey on No. 15, but made that up with a birdie on No. 17, a 480-yard par-5.

On his final nine holes, he had six bogeys, a birdie at No. 2 and two pars. He kept grinding, and and things turned out in his favor. Bogey was a good score at times on a windy day, and Wicker knew that.

"I actually played worse when it wasn't windy," Wicker said. "I didn't score that good, but I kind of pulled it together after a rocky start (back-to-back bogeys)."

"He's had a great year," said Brent Eddy, Douglas head coach. "He did what he needed to do. He would have liked to have won the individual title. That was his goal. He wasn't far off. He thrives in the wind. He plays in it a lot (here at Genoa)."