Alex Munson caps off round of 37 with an eagle on No. 9; Trenton Johnson cards a 48
The Panthers’ first home golf match of the spring last Thursday was a successful — and memorable — one for TMB golfers.
• Taylor Munson earned medalist honors with a 45. “I think I did a lot better on my putting,” she said. “Also, my woods were really good, too. Putting better really helped me out today.”
Munson said she has had an up-anddown spring but has been keeping her score in the 40s all season.
“I’ve gotten a lot better from last year,” she said. “Last year, I was really happy if I made the high 40s, this year I’ve been mostly in the mid-40s. I think what has really helped me is I’ve gotten stronger. Also, I’ve been more focused this year compared to last year.”
• TMB’s top golfer and 2024 state qualifier Alex Munson fell short of gaining medalist stature Thursday, but finished with a good taste in his mouth after getting an eagle on the par 4 ninth hole. He finished with a 37.
“There were people on the green, and I’m thinking, ‘I’ve never hit this green in my life, so I might as well go,” he said, I was trying to hit the gap between bunkers, and (my tee shot) landed on the front fringe right over a bunker (and) rolled about 2 feet from the hole.
Munson said the rest of his round would’ve been even better had it not been for two “shanks” that cost him a few strokes.
“Take away those two and I save three strokes at least,” he said. “The eagle made me kind of forget all the bad shots.”
• Trenton Johnson used a strong start to finish with a solid 48. “I parred the first — I hit a decent driver, then landed my second shot close to the green, then chipped it on and oneputted, said Johnson. “My putts were really strong today, I think I two-putted every hole except one.”
Johnson followed that with his first birdie of the year, on the par 5 fourth hole.
“I definitely have some things I can improve on, but I’m feeling really good about my game right now,” he said.
• Piper Schulte shot a 54.
• Charles Xiong, just a seventh-grader, finished with a 50. “I have a really big slice, but it started getting better throughout the round,” he said. “And my putting wasn’t great today; I couldn’t read the greens at all today. I’ve gotten better since the start of the year — I’ve been making better contact with my irons.”
Gavin Fischer, another youngster on the team, came in with a disappointing 74 after shooting a 50 in his previous round.
“I sliced my first drive and kept hitting the toe, but my putting got better,” Fischer said. “I just have to think about the good holes. You’ve gotta just keep thinking about your next hit.”
• The Panthers played the Savannah Oaks course near Lynd last week against Canby.
Leading the way for the boys was Alex Munson, who birdied both par 3s and finished second with a 36.
“His putting was excellent all day; he made a long birdie putt on the par 4, number 8 to tie for the tournament lead at -1,” coach Michael Munson said. “On hole 9, he pushed his drive into the trees and had to punch out. He missed a putt by a couple of inches to bogey the hole.”
Trenton Johnson and Gavin Fischer both came in with 50s, and Charles Xiong carded a 53.
“Trenton has been playing really well the last few weeks,” coach Munson said. “He started off the year struggling in the first few holes before playing better the rest of the 9 or 18 holes. This meet he started off with a par, but he was not happy with his finish. He struggled on the last hole otherwise he was in position to shoot his best round in competition play.
“Gavin played his best round of the year, shooting a 50 on one of the more difficult courses of our year,” Munson added. “He drove the ball really well and did not have a ‘blow up’ hole. He played with confidence and had a great round. Charles couldn’t get a lot going throughout the day. He had one par for the day and finished with a 53.”
Taylor Munson paced the girls with a 48, good for second place.
“Taylor had a solid round on a difficult course,” coach Munson said. “She hit a lot of great drives and approach shots but struggled putting. She three-putted on most of the holes. This is usually a strength of hers.”
Piper Schulte finished 10th with a 56. “Piper continues playing good golf; she has improved a lot over the year and has consistently shot in the mid-50s,” coach Munson said.
