Sidney runners-up at Kimball Invite

In their last tune up before their district tournaments, six teams, – including three area squads – competed in the Kimball Invite at Four Winds Golf Course Yesterday.

Sidney was the runner-up team with 335 strokes to 314 for winner Laramie. Host Kimball came in third at 367. Creek Valley finished fifth with a total of 413 strokes.

In the individual competition, John Murdock of Laramie finished on top with a 73, followed by Henry Heeg of Kimball (75). Slade Shaefer of Laramie was third (77).

Laramie featured three of the top four golfers.

Five locals medaled led by Taylor Barton of Sidney with a 78 to finish fifth. He was followed teammate Brendan Brown (81) in sixth, Lane Godfrey of Creek Valley (81) in seventh, Ryan Birner (85) was eighth.

Kyle Gorsuch of Potter-Dix finished just out of medal contention with an 87, a disappointing score for the solid senior, caused largely by a mistake on the 16th, his final hole in the shotgun start.

Gorsuch lost his ball in the rough, eventually taking a 10. Some time was spent investigating whether a player on the opposite fairway had played his ball by mistake. The ball was never found and Gosuch had to go back and play the ball from where he played it originally with a one-stroke penalty.

“I should have shot at least an 82,” Gorsuch said. “But if there was another hole to play, maybe I would have shot even worse.”

On Monday Sidney will head to its district meet at Scottsbluff Country Club while Potter-Dix and Creek Valley will head for Hillside Golf Course in Sidney. Both tournaments begin at 9 a.m.

“I know that course very well, I’ve played it alot,” Gorsuch said. “I need some practice before then.”

As for Godfrey of Creek Valley he just played the Hillside course for the first time on Thursday. He plans to go out again by himself to play Hillside on Saturday.

“I would like to place there and qualify for state,” Godfrey said.

Barton said he looks forward to getting back to the Scottsbluff course. Last week he shot a two-over par 74 which included three birdies and one double bogey.

“It should be a good day I’ve played well their in the past,” Barton said. “It’s a narrow course but if you hit good shots you can score there.

“I’m probably hitting the ball as well as I have all season,” he concluded.