DODGE CITY — Events don’t get much tougher before the national tournament.
The Barton Community College men’s golf team competed in a loaded Dodge City Shootout Saturday with four of the top ranked teams in the nation.
At the event were the No. 1-, 3-, 5- and 12-ranked teams in the NJCAA rankings.
Dodge City, ranked No. 5, won the event on its home course, Mariah Hills Golf Course, with a 561 over the 36-hole event followed by 12th-ranked Iowa Western with a 568.
The top-ranked team, Indian Hills (Iowa), was third with a 580 and McClennan (Texas) was fourth with a 586.
Barton, ranked No. 19, finished in sixth behind fellow Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference team Garden City.
Garden City, which is receiving votes in the NJCAA poll, was fifth with a 599 and Barton sixth with a 617.
“We played pretty well,” Barton head coach Doug Kaiser said. “It was a very tough meet and our kids played pretty good. It will probably be the best competition we will see during the regular season this year. There were a lot of red numbers on the board.”
Iowa Western freshman Ross Martens blistered the course with a 68-66 to win the individual portion of the meet with an 8-under par 134.
Teammate Elister Balcombe was next with a 71-66 for a 5-under par 137.
Zach Kirby of Dodge City shot a 70-68 – 138. In all, a handful of golfers were under par at the event.
Natchapol Srinoon led the Cougars during what was a near perfect day for golf at Mariah Hills. The freshman from Thailand shot a 71-73 good for a 2-over par 144.
Landon Fox was the only other Cougar to post two rounds in the 70’s, shooting a 75-74 – 149.
“It was the first time this year we played 36 holes in one day and for Pudder (Srinoon) it was the first time he ever played 36 holes in one day,” Kaiser said. “It was good for us to go play that level of competition.”
Blake Huxman and Koby Beougher both shot a round in the 70’s and 80’s.
Huxman shot a 78-84 – 162 while Beougher ended with an 84-79 – 163. Jestin Jackson rounded out the Cougar team with an 83-84 – 167.
Playing as individuals were Ellinwood freshman Jared Oelke and Arkansas City freshman Andrew Iverson.
Oelke opened with an 81 then finished with a 74 for a 155 total. Iverson shot 84-81 – 165.