By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West senior Myles Alonzo had a major breakthrough individually in Monday's City Golf Championship at Topeka Country Club while it was business as usual for Washburn Rural in the team race, with the Junior Blues claiming their 14th straight city title.
Washburn Rural's golf team poses for a picture after winning its 14th straight city championship Monday at Topeka Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka West senior Myles Alonzo won his first city title Monday with a 27-hole total of 117 strokes. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
After losing the 2023 city title in a playoff, Alonzo got the job done on Monday, finishing with a 27-hole score of 117 to win his first city crown by four strokes while Washburn Rural continued its dominating city run with a 34-stroke team win over Hayden (495-529) in the city event, which was held in conjunction with the 19-school Topeka Country Club Invitational.
Competing in a howling wind that made conditions extremely challenging, Alonzo took the lead with an opening nine-hole score of 37 and held on through an up and down final 18 holes to take the win, while senior Hayden Glynn shot a 121 to lead Washburn Rural.
"It was definitely challenging today with the wind and everything, but it was fun,'' Alonzo said. "I really wanted to do well today but I just want to win the bigger tournaments.
"It was fun, just to put this on my list that I won.''
City champion Myles Alonzo talks with Topeka West coach Richard Mariani during Monday's City Golf Championship at Topeka Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Alonzo had a string of holes over his final 18 where he struggled, but the West four-year standout never relinquished the top spot.
"I just couldn't keep my driver in the fairway,'' said Alonzo, who won his second straight tournament. "If anything it was just to try to make par and keep on going.''
Junior Tagen Rodriguez finished third in the city meet with a 122 total to lead runnerup Hayden while Washburn Rural's Tadd Armstrong (126) and Tagan Monasmith (128) rounded out the top five.
The Junior Blues also got 131s from Xoaquin Overbey and Tanner Kasprznk while Camden Zimlich finished at 136.
Senior Hayden Glynn, chipping onto the 18th green, was the city runnerup on Monday, leading Washburn Rural to its 14th straight city team championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I'm proud of the guys for accomplishing the goal of being city champions,'' Washburn Rural coach Jared Goehring said. "I know that that's always a goal that we set at the beginning of the season and it feels good to be city champions.
"We got off to a great start this morning (three in the 30s over the opening nine holes) and just didn't put it all together this afternoon.''
With the Centennial League meet looming next Monday at Firekeeper and Class 6A regional and state competition on the horizon, Goehring said he's hopeful that his Junior Blues can use Monday's tournament as a lesson for how to compete in unfavorable conditions.
"It's springtime in Kansas and high school golf for these guys can be a little bit unfair, especially with the weather conditions,'' Goehring said. "But the mindset that they have to have is that's something that they cannot control so hopefully they use this as great experience moving forward.''
Ayden Valdivia led third-place Shawnee Heights with a sixth-place finish at 130 while Kaleb Mack paced Seaman with a tie for seventh place (131) and Hayden's James Kuta rounded out the top 10 (132).
Topeka High/Cair Paravel Latin did not compete in the city meet due to the fact that the bulk of the team's golfers were gone on a school-related trip.
Blue Valley North won the team championship in the Topeka Country Club Invitational with a four-person score of 308, one stroke ahead of Olathe West.
Blue Valley's Chase Rinkol shot an even-par 71 to claim the individual title while Free State's Jack Randall finished second with a 73 and Shawnee Mission East's Stuart Boulware third with a 74.
TOPEKA CITY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
At Topeka Country Club
Team scores
Washburn Rural 495, Hayden 529, Shawnee Heights 542, Seaman 567.
Individual results
1. Myles Alonzo, Topeka West, 117; 2. Hayden Glynn, Washburn Rural, 121; 3. Tagen Rodriguez, Hayden, 122; 4. Tadd Armstrong, Washburn Rural, 126; 5. Tagan Monasmith, Washburn Rural, 128; 6. Ayden Valdivia, Shawnee Heights, 130; 7. (tie) Kaleb Mack, Seaman; Xoaquin Overbey, Washburn Rural, and Tanner Kasprznk, Washburn Rural, 131; 10. James Kuta, Hayden, 132.
Other Washburn Rural -- Camden Zimlich 136.
Other Hayden -- Colin Scott 137, Jacob Padilla 138.
Other Shawnee Heights -- Zack Hohman 137, Logan Hahn 137, Jesensen Crawford 138, Jasec Holladay 143, Connor Knernschied 154.
Other Seaman -- Zach Weir 135, Evan Michalski 148, Alexander Flanagan 156, Timothy Lister 162.
Other Topeka West -- Harrison Lane 144.
TOPEKA COUNTRY CLUB INVITATIONAL
Team scores
Blue Valley North 308, Olathe West 309, Blue Valley West 315, Blue Valley 319, Free State 320, Olathe Northwest 320, Blue Valley Northwest 322, Shawnee Mission East 329, Manhattan 334, Emporia 336, Washburn Rural 336, Shawnee Mission Northwest 348, Hayden 350, Lawrence 356, Shawnee Heights 364, Salina South 367, Seaman 377, Junction City 399.
Individual results
1. Chance Rinkol, Blue Valley, 71; 2. Jack Randall, Free State, 73; 3. Stuart Boulware, Shawnee Mission East, 74; 4. (tie) Myles Tarvin, Olathe West; Brady Rapp, Blue Valley North, and Ty Lasley, Blue Valley West, 75; 7. (tie) Bennett Warren, Olathe West; Jack Conley, Olathe Northwest; Parker Bennett, Blue Valley West; Brandon Eckart, Blue Valley North; Connor MacGee, Blue Valley, and Drew Krystyn, Blue Valley North, 76; 13. Tate Reid, Manhattan, 77; 14. Blaine Sullivan, Olathe West, 78; 15. (tie) Aiden Graff-Hannah, Free State; Lane Workman, Santa Fe Trail, and Aarush Dronavalli, Blue Valley Northwest, 79; 18. (tie) Parker Boggins, Olathe West; Blake Winter, Olathe Northwest; Gunnar Wayenberg, Lawrence; Myles Alonzo, Topeka West; Joe Honn, Blue Valley Northwest, and Tagen Rodriguez, Hayden, 80.
