Furnish's steady play leads to medal honors

CEDAR RAPIDS - Megan Furnish has heard the saying “Old man par is your friend” from her father.

She applied the adage to be a model of consistency, treating the golf goal like a childhood friend.

Furnish carded an even-par 72 to claim medalist honors at the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet on Monday at Ellis Golf Course.

The Cedar Rapids Jefferson senior posted 14 par scores, edging Dubuque Wahlert's Amy Ihm, who carded an eagle on the par-4 No. 16 hole, by a stroke and finishing well ahead the rest of the field that faced chilly and mildly windy conditions.

“I was thinking pars are good,” Furnish said. “I just tried to stay consistent shoot around par.”

Consistency was apparent when Furnish tried to pinpoint an aspect where she excelled.

“Overall, everything was OK for me,” Furnish said. “I had some bad shots but I just tried to bounce back after those.”

Effort in practice has been devoted to her course management and short game, which aided that consistency Monday. On the par-5 holes, Furnish benefitted, laying up and then getting up and down to avoid big numbers that were prevalent from many other golfers. On the 394-yard, par-5, No. 3, Furnish played within 75 yards, hit the green and putted for par.

“I was really working on 40-, 50- and 60-yard shots, zoning into the flag and having a good target,” said Furnish, who will play in college at Southwest Missouri State next year. “I think it helped a lot.”

Furnish, who opened the round with the first of two bogeys, capped her round with her second birdie on the last hole. She hit a 7-iron off the tee of the 130-yard No. 8, placing it within seven feet of the hole. She hit the putt, which earned her medal honors.

“Having a good ending was a plus,” said Furnish, who had missed a few birdie putts throughout the round. “It was a nice time to get one.”

Jefferson Coach Dan Ray noted that Furnish was more relaxed than he had seen in competition. An emphasis has been placed on keeping a steady routine, focusing on the moment and remaining comfortable.

“We've talked about playing your game, be relaxed and don't rush things,” Ray said, “She felt good about herself.”

Cedar Falls distanced itself from the rest of the conference, shooting 332, winning by 30 strokes. Linn-Mar's 362 was good for second.

The Lions all hovered around 90, and again their balance elevated them in the standings. Julie Pople led the Lions with an 88. Katie Harding shot 89, while C.J. Davis and Danielle Toy added 92 and 93, respectively. Harding and Toy were listed as the Lions' fifth and sixth competitors.

“When you look up there, not many (teams) have their fifth and sixth golfer contributing,” Linn-Mar Coach Steve Kahler said about the scoreboards. “When you get your fifth and sixth to score for you, that takes the pressure off your first four and that was the case today ... that was the difference between placing second and fifth.”

With the Super Meet serving as the first of two meets to determine division titles and awards, Linn-Mar will take a five-stroke lead over Dubuque Senior into next Monday's MVC Mississippi Divisional meet at Pleasant Valley Golf Course in Iowa City. They will continue to rely on the entire team.

“The way our season has gone so far, (golfers) one through six have been shuffling all over the place,” Kahler said. “It's good competition.”

Cedar Rapids Xavier was third overall with 365, trailing only Cedar Falls in the MVC Valley. The Saints' Grace Winker was third individually with 79, and Maddie Bertsch was fifth with 81.

MVC SUPER MEET

At Ellis Golf Course

(Par 72)

Teams - 1. Cedar Falls 332, 2. Linn-Mar 362, 3. C.R. Xavier 365, 4. Dubuque Senior 367, 5. Dubuque Wahlert 381, 6. Iowa City High 388, 7. Iowa City West 391, 8. C.R. Jefferson 404, 9. C.R. Prairie 407, 10. C.R. Kennedy 412, 11. Dubuque Hempstead 414, 12. Waterloo West 423, 13. C.R. Washington 438, 14. Waterloo East NS.

Individuals - 1. Megan Furnish (CRJ), 72, 2. Amy Ihm (DW), 73, 3. Grace Winker (CRX), 79*, 4. Allison Rolinger (CF), 79, 5. Maddie Bertsch (CRX), 81, 6. Taylor Roberts (CF), 82, 7. Megan Brewer (CF), 85, 8. M.J. Kamin (CRW), 86*, 9. Hannah Hegarty (CF), 86, 10. Julie Pople (LM), 88*

* - Won tiebreaker on cardback.

Linn-Mar (362): Pople 88, Katie Harding 89, C.J. Davis 92, Danielle Toy 93

C.R. Xavier  (365): Winker 79, Bertsch 81, Lisa Olberding 101, Morgan DeLong 104

City High (388): Rachel Stewart 92, Emily Koepnick 94, Katherine van der Woude 97, Mackenzie Mertens 105

I.C. West (391): Tiffany Danger 91, Olivia Ewing 97, Madyson Boardman 99, Sarah Hellem 104

C.R. Jefferson (404): Furnish 72, Megan Kibby 109, Marisa Fehlhafer 111, Emily Aukes 112

C.R. Prairie (407): Emily Machula 99, Konnor Griffith 100, Emily Perrin 101, Kerstin Flugum 107

C.R. Kennedy (412): Ali Lindo 88, Sadie Schultz 106, Hannah Harberts 108, Raemi Chavez 110

C.R. Washington (438): Kamin 86, Kandis O'Donnell 101, Sophia Ochs 125, Elizabeth Stanczyk 126