John Jay duo makes the cut at Section 1 golf championships

James Strauss, left, of John Jay tees off with an iron. Wally Ryder, right, of John Jay putts on the 18th hole. Both golfers move on to the final round on May 26 at Centennial in Carmel. JIM MACLEAN PHOTOS

By JIM MACLEAN 

Conditions were brutal even if you were not playing, with the temperature rising close to 90 degrees on a hot and humid afternoon on a course with almost no shade trees, as golfers gathered to compete in the first round of the Section 1 golf tournament May 18 at Tamarack Country Club in Greenwich, Conn.

Only the top 60 golfers from the entire section qualified to compete in the tournament based on scoring differentials throughout the season, and there were three golfers from John Jay and two from Fox Lane that made the cut to enter the field. For John Jay, it was Wally Ryder, James Strauss and Asher Barnett, while Hank Hearon and Calvin Metzger made it from Fox Lane.

One look at the layout of the Tamarack course and you could tell it would be a challenging day in difficult conditions, with massive bunkers and greens and obstacles on every hole. Despite the weather and course, there were some impressive performances turned in by golfers across the field as they competed to make the cut with the top 30 finishers advancing to the final round. Strauss finished with a score of 79, and Ryder was at 81 as they both made the cut to advance.

Strauss and Ryder move on to the second and final round on May 26 at the Centennial Golf Course in Carmel.

“I have never seen bunkers like those before — they were crazy — and huge greens,” said John Jay coach Art Blank. “The kids did a great job considering the circumstances — the heat was brutal and then the wind kicked in. For all three of them, it was their first time competing at sectionals. It was a very competitive field this year with lots of very good golfers, and under those conditions, to come out where they did, all three of them did very well.”

Strauss shot a 40 and a 39 for a combined score of 79 on the eighteen-hole course, eight strokes behind the leaders tied at 71. Strauss finished in a three-way tie in 12th place as a total of 15 golfers shot under 80.

Ryder rallied with a great round on the front nine, shooting a 37 to finish at 81 overall and make the cut to advance. Barnett finished at 44-42 for an 86, just three strokes away from making the cut.

At Section 1 championships from left: Fox Lane’s Calvin Metzger, Hank Hearon and John Jay's Asher Barnett.

“James was seeded very high and I knew he could move up, and he shot a 79, a great round and he’s moving on to Centennial,” Blank said of Strauss. “Wally shot an 81, very consistent and he’s played that way throughout the year. He’s played a lot at Centennial and he’s hoping for a big day. They’re ready to go and I expect both of them to do well. Asher shot an impressive round in his first sectionals and he had a great season as a sophomore.”

There was a big bunch of golfers within three strokes of each other as a total of 20 scored between an 80 and 83. Fox Lane’s Hearon shot a 42-43 for a total of 85, and teammate Metzger came in at 44-41 for the same score of 85, with both missing the chance to advance by two strokes.

“I was very happy with their attitude, effort and grit despite the weather conditions,” Fox Lane coach Fabian Videla said of Hearon and Metzger. “I think they both represented themselves and Fox Lane very well at the tournament.”

“Although they were disappointed to not make the cut and move on, both young men played very consistent rounds which was a good representation of what they have done all year long,” Videla said. “We will miss Hank and Jack Yaggi, who broke his arm, very much next year.”