Video: Furnish fights conditions to win CRANDIC

MARION - Megan Furnish kept an eye on the forecast last night, so she anticipated having to battle the elements Wednesday.

The J-Hawks junior and her dad made sure she had the appropriate attire to handle the harsh conditions, including wet turf, biting winds and cold temperatures that didn't surpass 40 degrees until well in the afternoon. It turned out she was dressed for success.

Furnish carded a 79 to earn medalist honors, and her performance helped lead Jefferson to the team title at the CRANDIC girls golf meet at Hunters Ridge Golf Course.

"I'm very happy about it," Furnish said. "It's a big confidence booster being able to play in these kind of conditions, focusing on your shots."

Listen to Furnish discuss winning the meet and personal versus team success.

http://youtu.be/2y4os2BlR9s

Focus could have been tough with temperatures slightly above freezing with a strong wind when the meet started. Furnish was occupied on her play instead of the weather.

"This morning it was very cold," Furnish said. "Everyone was in sweatshirts, hats and mittens but you just have to take it as it is. You have to deal with it.

"You have to adjust. It's good to be a versatile player be able to play in all conditions."

Furnish talks about the cold and windy conditions.

http://youtu.be/kmbbNA1WhKA

As the day started to warm up, so did Furnish. She posted a 42 on the front, including four pars, but carded a back-nine best 37. She improved her putting after the tun, capitalizing on the green which she was unable to do on the front.

"I put myself in position to make those birdies. I had an opportunity to score but on the front I wasn't making them," Furnish said. "On the back, I tried to focus, take my time and really line up the putt."

Jefferson Coach Dan Ray said he noticed Furnish was upset when she reached the clubhouse after the ninth hole. They discussed her swing and she made the necessary changes.

"She made an adjustment," said Ray, calling Furnish coachable and a student of the game. "That's what good golfers do."

Furnish birdied the 12th and 15th hole. She escaped a green-side bunker to set up her birdie putt on No. 12 and a tee shot drilled down the center of No. 15 put her in good position. The 12th hole was a highlight for Furnish.

"It's a tricky hole. You have to know where to hit it," Furnish said. "My third shot actually got in the bunker ... I chipped out, it went on the green and I made the birdie putt."

Wednesday was another step in the right direction for Furnish. She saw progress in course management, but her short game was more impressive. Both were points of emphasis.

"I've definitely been improving," said Furnish, an all-stater and Mississippi Valley Conference divisional player of the year last season. "My irons came around today. They haven't been real accurate. I've been working hard on that."

The J-Hawks had only four of the 10 golfers on their roster in the field. Ray said those four are the only players ready for varsity competition. Despite zero margin for error since team score are comprised of the top four player scores, Ray was optimistic about the team's chances to compete for a top spot based on recent efforts in practice.

"I thought if the girls put it together, and the way they have been practicing, we could," said Ray, who was unsure the last time Jefferson had won the CRANDIC. "We were capable."

Ray saw some promise when Furnish reached the clubhouse at 42 and Leah Groe, Hillary Harriman and Emily Aukes each posted 51 on the front nine. He said if they were close to that on the back nine he would be happy. Everyone on the J-Hawks left with warm feelings after the scores were tallied. Groe scored 101, Harriman had 104 and Aukes finished with a 109, making Jefferson just one of three teams with four players under 110.

"It's really good for our team. We're not the top dogs very much," Groe said. "It's good all our hard work paid off. We've been practicing hard."

Knowing you have to post a good score for the team success can be nerve-racking. Groe said the team has gotten used to it, playing with only four golfers at last year's CRANDIC meet. The key is trying to score your best and let the team standings work itself out.

"When you're out there you want to focus on your own score," Groe said. "When you come in, you hope your teammates shot well."

Furnish battled for top honors with Iowa City West's Madison Goodfellow and Cedar Rapids Xavier's Kimmy Askelson. She played better down the stretch, including holes No. 14 through 18 than her opponents.

"She came back and shot well on the back nine," Ray said. "It shows what kind of character she has."

Goodfellow started strong, carding birdies on two of her first six holes and 1-over par 37 on the front nine. She birdied the par-5 and finished one shot back. defending champion Askelson was out with 43 and in 46 for an 89. She helped the saints finish second, four shots ahead of third-place West.

Linn-Mar was fourth with 406, paced by sophomore Emma Lorenz, who was fourth with a 94. Lorenz carded the only eagle of the meet, making a shot from about 90 yards out on the par-4 No. 5 hole. She added a birdie on a par-3 three holes later.

Teams - 1. C.R. Jefferson 393, 2. C.R. Xavier 399, 3. Iowa City West 403, 4. Linn-Mar 406, 5. Iowa City High 414, 6. C.R. Prairie 441, 7. C.R. Kennedy 449, 8. C.R. Washington 450, 9. Marion 457.

Individuals - 1. Megan Furnish (CRJ), 79, 2. Madison Goodfellow (ICW), 80, 3. Kimmy Askelson (CRX), 89, 4. Emma Lorenz (LM), 94, 5. (tie) Ali Lindo (CRK) and Alyssa Adamec (ICW), 95.

Jefferson (393): Furnish 79, Leah Groe 101, Hillary Harriman 104, Emily Aukes 109

Xavier (399): Askelson 89, Lisa Olberding 98, Grace Winker 100, Maddie Bertsch 112

I.C. West (403): Goodfellow 80, Adamec 95, Madyson Boardman 114, Olivia Ewing 114

Linn-Mar (406): Lorenz 94, Julie Pople 102, Sarah Tegtmeier 102, Dionna Jensen 108

City High (414): Elizabeth Wheeler 100, Katherine vanderWoude 102, Rachel Stewart 106, Mackenzie Mertens 106

Prairie (441): Jehri Wagner 104, Alyssa Beisker 106, Emily Perrin 115, Kerstin Flugum 116

Kennedy (449): Lindo 95, Paige Ermer 113, Sadie Schultz 115, Haley Corkery 126

Washington (450): Abbey Overland 101, Katie Rohde 108, Becca Herron 115, Alex Stephens 126

Marion (457): Ashley Reed 108, Heather McGuire 111, Alicia Livingston 117, Brooke Eichelberger 121