BELLA VISTA — Fayetteville's dual match with Bentonville Tuesday also served as a practice round for Friday's 7AWest Conference golf tournament at Bella Vista Country Club.
The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs contended with damp playing conditions Tuesday on Bella Vista's outward nine and unseasonably-cool temperatures. Coach Kyle Adams said Tuesday's preview should prime both teams for Friday's conferencetournament.
"As cold as it was, I'm really pleased with the way we played," Adams said. "The girls played pretty well. It was the first time most of them have been on the course, and it was the first time most of the boys have seen the course.
"... The more you can get on a course, the more it's going to help you. We're going to do a practiceround on Thursday. Most of them have never been on the back, so we'll talk about where to miss if you're going to miss shots and where they need to be."
Led by medalist Micah Radler's 2-over 38, the Lady Bulldogs posted a 124- total to beat Bentonville by a resounding 50 strokes. Shelby Daniel's 42 and Alex DelSol's 44 completed the Lady Bulldogs' winning aggregate.
Fayetteville remained unbeaten despite the absence of sophomore Olivia Lavy. The Lady Bulldog No. 1 was idled by aninjury to her left wrist but is expected to play in the conference tournament.
A birdie at the par 4 second had Radler under par through the first five holes. A bogey at six and a double-bogey seven at the par 5 seventh bumped her back into the black.
Bentonville's 170 total bested the Bulldogs by a paltry two shots. Medalist Tyrus Morey's 4-over 40 paced the Tiger win. A birdie at the par 5 seventh keyed Morey's round, tempering bogeys at 2, 5 and 9 and a double bogey at eight.
Wet conditions made the outward half play longer than the 3,395-yardage from the back tees, but freshman Sam Hudson and sophomore Ethan Tisdale shot 41s to lead Fayetteville.
The Bulldogs' Nos. 1 and 2 players both played the final three holes in even par. Justin McDonald and Christian Mills respectively shot 44 and 46 to complete Fayetteville's 172 total.
I thought Sam and Ethan both played well for their first time on the course," Adams said."Forty one was a pretty good score today."
The conference tournament begins Friday with a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
Sports, Pages 7, 8 on 09/23/2009