MOUNT VERNON — The Mount Vernon golf team looked to defend its home turf during the 40th annual Kent Miller Colonial Fall Invitational on Saturday at Hiawatha Golf Course.
The Yellow Jackets had a solid showing as Columbus Academy defended its title, winning for the second year in a row. Mount Vernon finished sixth with a score of 316, behind Academy’s winning score of 301. Westerville North was second at 304, followed by Olentangy (307), Dublin Jerome (308) and Upper Arlington (311). Mount Vernon’s B team finished 24th out of the 25 teams playing at Hiawatha.
“Our goal was to have two teams in the top 10 and we had only one,” said Mount Vernon golf coach Mike Fuller. “Robert (Williams) and Justin (Fairchild) played pretty well today. Everybody on the team decided, hey, let’s go out and play well and defend our home course. I think everyone had the mentality, just maybe did not come through.”
Robert Williams led the MV Black team with a 3-over-par 75. He just missed finishing in the top 10 individually.
“I did not hit the ball the best compared to how I have been,” Williams said. “I had an off day with my irons. I did not hit many greens, and even when I did, I was 25 to 30 feet away from the pin.”
Williams birdied both No. 8 and No. 16 en route to consistent scores on both nines. He was 1-over par on the front (37) and two on the back (38).
Justin Fairchild was next for the Jackets, bouncing back from a 4-over-par 40 on the front nine to post an even-par 36 on the back. His 76 put him in 12th place individually.
Chase Springer was third for the Jackets, firing an 82 (40-42), while Luke Earnest was next at 83 (40-43) and Nick Hoar shot 88 (48-40).
“Justin was four over after four holes. He really put it together the rest of the way,” Fuller said. “Overall, I’m happy with the team score. We’ve brought it down in the last week. Hopefully, we’ll continue to work that way.”
The Mount Vernon Orange team was led by Cody McNichols, who fired an 87 (41-46). Austin Blanton came in at 88 (47-41), followed by Colin Lybarger 91 (47-44), Jamey Hull 93 (45-48) and Bryant Shellenbarger 98 (48-50).
Mount Vernon also had two individuals playing. Jake Carhart shot 95 (46-49) and Mykala Clifton shot 114 (56-58).
Westerville South’s Justin Arens won medalist honors, firing a 3-under-par 69. Dublin Jerome’s Sean Inutsuka was second at 70. Academy’s Ted Loper had the shot of the day, getting a hole-in-one on the 130-yard fourth hole. That helped him finish in the top 10 at 74.
The Jackets will play Tuesday at York Country Club.
