POWELL – The fall sports season has officially started and with that comes the new golf season filled with hopes and expectations across both boys’ and girls’ divisions. The Lander Valley (LVHS) team, full of their own hopes and expectations, traveled to Powell for their first tournament of the season and ended up having the best two days out of the group of teams.
They did so thanks to big days by Lander’s Sequeil Lozier as well as Owen Sweeney and Riley Stoudt. Lozier finished the first day tied for first place with Sheridan’s Garrett Spielman and Thunder Basin’s Bodie Williams, while Sweeney (82) and Stoudt (83) both had better days during the second round than their first.
After shooting a 74 on the first day of play, Lozier put up a 75 on the second to stay tied for second place behind Spielman. Lozier’s final combined score of 149 was just two strokes behind the leader from Sheridan.
Lozier’s second-place finish came alongside his teammate Hunter Kihn, who climbed the leaderboard with a 76 on the second day and finished with a total score of 160 which was good enough for seventh place. That was just two strokes ahead of Sweeney (162) and three ahead of Stoudt (163) who finished ninth and 11th, respectively.
All of these outstanding scores that propped LVHS into the top dozen were enough to help the Tiger team finish in the top spot. Lander’s boys combined for a score of 634, five strokes ahead of Campbell County’s team (639) in second place. So, in their first two days of play the Tigers showed they are not going away and can put up some of the best scores in any tournament.
Meanwhile, the girls did not bring enough to qualify for team scores but their presence was felt thanks to Keigann Watson who finished in the top eight with a final score of 183. Watson, as well as the rest of the field, had a tough time following Lovell’s Erika Cook who shot a 73 or lower both days while nobody else in the field shot less than a 78 all tournament long.
Up next the Tigers travel to Cody for a two-day invitational before hosting their own tournament, the Terry Berg Invitational, on Monday, August 21, and Tuesday, August 22.
BY: Shawn O’Brate