Heading into the season, the Little Hawk golf team had some holes to fill in their roster, losing two of the six starters from a year ago. The top returner for the team is Jack Rogers ‘26, who won the individual conference championship last season. Another returner is Henry Birt ‘27, who plays the two for the team and has a nine-hole scoring average of 37.85 this season. The last top returner for the team is William Feagler ‘28, who plays the three for the team and has a nine-hole scoring average of 38.35.
“We started off the season a little rough, but we are all starting to finally find our groove. We have only improved over the course of the season, and we are just trying to get one percent better every day. This is one of the more locked-in teams that I have been a part of,” Rogers ‘26 said.
At the beginning of September, the team won back-to-back nine-hole meets after not placing
in any of the other meets to start the season. Rogers led the way with a 34 in the first meet to win individually by three. Birt carded a 37 to tie for second individually in the meet. The last two players to place for the team were Feagler with a 39 and Del Brewer ‘27 with a 39. The team carded a 149 and won the meet by nine shots. In the following meet, Rogers led the way again with a 35, getting second by one shot. Other scorers for the meet were Feagler with a 38, Collin Riley ‘27 with a 38, and Birt with a 39. The team carded a 150 and tied for first, but won in a playoff, going back to the sixth position score.
“I’m having a great time competing in every meet, just trying to take it one at a time before we get to districts. I think we have a good chance of getting four good scores in every meet we play,” Feagler said.
The team is sitting in fourth in their side of the conference with one meet to play before deciding conference honors. Rogers is twelve shots back from the current individual leader with one meet to play. The team shot a school record 285 in the second conference meet at Twin Pines Golf Course. The final meet to decide is at Gardner Golf Course in Cedar
Rapids.
“I didn’t start the season great in 18-hole meets, but I have found my groove in the nine-hole meets, trying to play my best. After losing the twins this year, the team has done a great job adjusting and playing even better than we did last year in some meets. The conference is tough, but the team is willing to do whatever it takes to get that top spot,” Birt said.
With only one player on the team who was playing when the team made the state tournament two years ago, the Little Hawks will have to rely on new faces to get them back to Hyperion Golf Course come the end of the season. One of the new faces is Del Brewer ‘27, who has scored in the majority of the meets this season playing the four, five, or six spot.
“This year has been really fun so far. I wasn’t expecting to contribute to the team as much as I have, but it has been a great season. Everyone is starting to play their best golf, and the team has a lot of chemistry. The ceiling we have is very high,” Brewer said.
