Xavier golfers manage Jones, jump to second in MVC Valley

CEDAR RAPIDS – Sometimes it's not about the shots you make, but more about the shots you don't have to take.Cedar Rapids Xavier Coach Tim O'Brien urged his team to avoid big scores and maneuver their way around Jones Golf Course on Tuesday. The Saints appeared to take his advice.Xavier posted a team score of 307, placing second in the third and final round of the Mississippi Valley Conference Valley Divisional meet. The score was good enough to overtake Dubuque Hempstead by one for second place overall with a 952, eclipsing a five-stroke deficit. Cedar Falls won the team event with a 300 and 933 in the 54-hole competition.“I was pleased with their effort.” O'Brien said. “The only thing we had missing today was a score around par. … Ending up second overall, I'm pleased and really proud of these guys.”The Saints had five golfers at 78 or better, which was more than any other team. A season focus has been playing bogey or better.“Birdies, bogeys and pars,” O'Brien said. “That's been our theme all year. If you can do that in team golf then you're going to be competitive.“It's pretty important on this golf course, especially. It can make some big numbers.”The numbers weren't very low, but they were lower than most of the field. Jason Beer, who earned second-team all-conference honors, led the Saints with a 75, scoring a birdie on par-3 17th hole. Robbie Thinnes carded three birdies for a 76, J.P. King, Devin Olson and Ben Schemmel all scored 78 for the Saints, which earned its highest divisional finish in O'Brien's four years as head coach.“We were coming in today and wanted scores in the 70's and pulled it out,” King said. “That was really good.“It was definitely one of our goals to pick up a position.”King said the course had tough pin placements and demanded straight shots. He played well enough for a top-six finish and first-team all-conference honors.“I'm just really happy,” said King, honorable mention last year. “I played pretty well in all three meets and I'm just really happy to be there.”Cedar Rapids Jefferson's Eric Lehmkuhl forged his way into the top tier of the division as well. Despite shooting 78 and tying for 10th in the third round, Lehmkuhl completed the competition with 234, sharing fourth overall with King. He praised his dad, Tom Lehmkuhl, and Jefferson Coach Steve Koepke for his improvement.“My dad has been really helping me all year,” Lehmkuhl said. “We always work together so it's a big accomplishment for me and my dad.”Lehmkuhl said the course was challenging, which pushed the average score was more than 15 shots over par.“This was a championship golf course. No doubt about it,” Lehmkuhl said. “We had to play really smart and conservative. That's what I focused on all day, one shot at a time.”Iowa City West's Ryan Shields played well, placing in a tie for second with a 4-over-par 73. The round allowed him to grab sixth overall with 235 and the last first-team all MVC Valley Division honor.Cedar Falls duo Will Hunemuller and Jacob Bermel captured first and second overall and post two of the best scores Tuesday. Hunemuller shot 68 and was the lone golfer under par. Bermel tied Shields with 73. Hunemuller was the divisional champion with 223, three shots better than overall runner-up Bermel.