Minster picks up where it left off; Purpus edges Scott
By Tim Langevin
Minster’s Craig Purpus played the Piqua Country Club golf course like a fiddle, firing a -7 under par 65. Northmont’s Nick Scott performed like a surgeon, dissecting his way to a -6 under 66. And Lehman’s Wil Fridley added a methodical -2 under 70 for good measure at the 24th Annual Homan Invitational Monday.
Eighteen teams and 90 players battled the heat and high humidity, but it was Minster maintaining its cool to capture the team title, five strokes clear of runner-up Lehman and 10 shots better than third-place finisher Northmont.
The Wildcats made it look easy as Austin Fischer (77), Sam Phlipot (78), Oliver Weaver (80), and Purpus posted a tournament record score of 300. Lehman’s 305 total was the best in its school history.
“We have had great tradition at Minster,” first-year coach Dave Borchers said. “We just want to continue that tradition. We are not trying to beat last year’s team. Each golfer is trying to improve their own game.”
He added, “Players 1-10 are solid. I guard myself from saying that, but these kids are competitive and challenge one another for playing time before each match. It is really amazing how many good players we have.”
Other Lehman scores included a 77 for Ben Thieman, a 78 by Tyler Bergman, and an 80 from Ian Baker.
Purpus, Scott, and Fridley were the only players to shoot sub-par rounds on a course described as “playing easy”.
Tournament Officials set the course at just 6,048 yards in length. Add to the mix plush fairways, receptive greens, and benign weather conditions, that explained the low scores. Regardless, the golfers still had to execute the shots, and they did.
Purpus carded nine birdies and two bogeys on his round. He tore up the back side with birdies on holes #10, 11, 13, 15, 16, and 17. In all he hit 16-of-18 greens in regulation.
Purpus described his round, “I started with a bogey on the first hole, but it didn’t bother me because I knew the course was playing easy. I had a wedge in my hand most of the day on approach shots. Then I got hot with the putter. All my putts started dropping. That was fun.”
He added, “Obviously, I don’t expect to shoot 65 the next time out. Need to keep it in reality. Play one shot at a time and play for pars.”
The senior standout has had college offers from Toledo, Dayton, and Ohio Wesleyan and will visit Ohio U this Thursday. He said, “All the schools I visited have been great. It will be a tough decision. I hate to turn those schools down. If I choose Toledo, they would take me now, but I won’t make a decision until after the Ohio U visit.”
Scott played a bogey-free round with six birdies. He drilled a 20-footer for birdie on hole # 12 and converted a 15-footer on # 13 for birdie. He hit 17-of-18 greens in regulation. He toured the front side in -2 under and the back side -4 under.
“I was striking the ball solid most of the day,” said Scott. “My confidence level right now is high. I feel I should win every tournament. I had a good summer on the AJGA circuit. I won a tournament in Pennsylvania and finished third in Michigan. I was only home about 10 days the entire summer.”
Scott committed to Kent State about one month ago. He stressed, “That takes a lot of pressure off me. I can concentrate on playing golf and enjoy my senior season. But…I still want to win state.”
Wil Fridley, making a name for himself, recorded five birdies and two bogeys. He shot a 36 on the front and a 34 on the back. He hit 17-of-18 greens, but two three-putts cost him a 68.
Fridley said, “The course wasn’t playing that tough. Just had to keep the ball in the fairway. Make the shots. Plenty of chances for birdies.” He added, “Overall, I played well. Our goal as a team is to get back to state and then play well.”
Sidney finished ninth with an overall score of 325. Zach Yinger, playing with flu-like symptons, shot a 74. Matt Slonaker added a 75 and Calvin Milligan recorded a 77.
Top Individuals
Craig Purpus, Minster 65
Nick Scott, Northmont 66
Wil Fridley, Lehman 70
Zach Yinger, Sidney 74
Will Paulus, St. Mary’s 74
Several others 75
Team Scores
1) Minster 300
2) Lehman 305
3) Northmont 310
4) Tecumseh 317
5) Troy 318
5) Wapokaneta 318
7) Tipp City 319
8) Versailles 323
9) Sidney 325
10) St. Mary’s 327
11) Urbana 338
12) Covington 339
13) Piqua A 342
14) Greenville 357
15) Graham 373
16) Milton-Union 378
17) Piqua B 383
18) Miami East 405
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