The Reeths-Puffer boys golf team is starting to make its move against conference competition.
The Rockets were disappointed when they finished in fourth place in each of the first two O-K Green conference jamborees of the season.
On Wednesday they moved up two notches, tying Zeeland West for second place at the third jamboree at Winding Creek Golf Course. They actually had to settle for third place, due to a tie-breaker rule, but only finished nine shots behind first-place Mona Shores.
Mona Shores had 167 points while both R-P and Zeeland West were at 176.
Kristian Brown
As R-P Coch Matt Pallett put it, “The team is starting to play better and starting to challenge for the top spots.”
The Rockets were led by sophomore Kristian Brown and senior Dylan Panozzo, who both shot rounds of 42 and tied for third place in the individual standings.
Ayden Hartzell was third on the team, and sixth in the tournament, with a score of 43.
“Ayden had a really nice stretch of golf with many pars in a row,” Pallett said. “This helped him post his best round of the season.”
Dylan Panozzo
Aiden Waggoner shot a shot a 49 for R-P, followed by Jake Lee and Carter Hekkema, who both shot a 57.
“Dylan and Kristian performed as I would expect them to,” Pallett said. “They are two of the better golfers in the conference and they showed that tonight. Both seem to be finding their game, with still some areas to improve, which is a great sign.
“I am very happy for Ayden Hartzell. He is close to putting it all together. Sometimes his mental game limits him. He overcame a tough hole early on and showed the mental toughness to put a great stretch of golf together to end his round.”
The Rockets will travel to Crystal Mountain for a two-day tournament this weekend.