KoMets get back on the green

The Kasson-Mantorville golf team has been waiting forever to get their season underway. With golf being the most weather-dependent sport of the season, the KoMets patiently waited for seven weeks as the snow melted and the courses dried out.

That process included a variety of different methods to prepare including hitting a countless number of balls in the gym, practicing putting in the learning center and talking about the rules of golf until they were, in head coach Jeff Bernard’s words, “blue in the face.”

After weeks of preparation in artificial conditions, the long wait for golf season to begin finally ended as the girls team took part in the Mount Frontenac Invitational on April 27.

“The wait seemed like a long time,” Bernards said. “Nobody likes to be inside, but it was what it was. We had no control over the weather, it is just going out and hitting real golf shots. The first shots we hit outside were absolutely beautiful watching the ball flight and then stopping as it hit the ground.”

As will be the case for most of the season, Ashley Johnson was leading the way for the KoMets by shooting a 95. The round was good enough to tie for first place in the tournament, but a tiebreaker sent her to a second place finish.

The rest of the KoMets were bunched up as Taya Lindquist shot a 105, Annabel Smith shot a106, Emma Brookman shot a 107 and Cate Trihey shot a 108. Although the scores weren’t eye-popping, Bernards was optimistic about his team’s performance and believes there is room to grow throughout the year.

“It was a decent start for the team,” Bernards said. “There were lots of good things to build on. Lots of improvement is needed to get the girls where we want to get to, but it was just good to get out there and play 18 holes. We’re in a sprint now.”

After the Dodge Invite on Monday will feature the boys’ first action of the season, both teams will take part in their first HVL conference meets of the season this week. The girls will head to Lake City on Wednesday afternoon while the boys will hit the links on Thursday in Pine Island.