Xavier's Askelson does dad proud

IOWA CITY - Bob Askelson walked around Pleasant Valley Golf Course for four hours Wednesday morning. He didn't hit one ball and wasn't out to get extra exercise or anything.

He was there to watch and support his daughter, Kimmy.

“I come to as many (meets) as I can,” Askelson said. “Yeah, it was a good choice to come today.”

A real good choice.

Kimmy Askelson did her dad proud with a two-over-par 74 that earned her medalist honors at the nine-school CRANDIC tournament. The Cedar Rapids Xavier junior flirted with even-par until finding water and taking a double-bogey on the par-4 18th hole.

That didn't dampen, no pun intended, a terrific round of golf.

“Kimmy, you were a beast today,” a Xavier teammate told Askelson.

“Yeah, I know,” she replied.

That wasn't meant to sound arrogant. Askelson was as pleased and surprised as anyone that she was able to post an eagle and three birdies.

“I felt good on the putting green. My stroke was good,” said Askelson, who is able to hit the ball long despite having diminutive physical features. ”My short game, I got up and down every time. I was straight off the driver, solid ball contact. I was hitting greens. That's about it.”

That's about enough.

Then there was that eagle on the sixth hole. She used a wedge to hole out from what she and her father estimated was 89 yards.

“Two bounces, and it dropped in the hole. Unbelievable,” she said. “(It felt) almost like a hole in one. Pretty sweet.”

Iowa City West won the team title with a 347, 20 shots fewer than runner-up Xavier. West's Brooklyn Klemesrud and Madison Goodfellow finished second and third invidually with rounds of 79 and 81, respectively.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson sophomore Megan Furnish actually tied Goodfellow for third. Iowa City High's Karley Boardman was fifth with an 86.

City High placed third, followed by Linn-Mar, Cedar Rapids Washington, Jefferson, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Cedar Rapids Prairie and Marion.

Here is video of Marion's Heather McGuire (red shirt), City High's Rachel Stewart (pink), West's Megan Wiechert (yellow) and Washington's Lauren Manninen (blue) putting out on their final hole of the competition (the 9th hole):