Wed - 20 Apr
Written by Jim Ecker
Megan Furnish missed qualifying for the Class 4A state golf tournament by a single shot last year, but it looks like she could be on course for a trip this season.
Furnish won top honors at the CRANDIC meet Wednesday and helped Cedar Rapids Jefferson claim the team championship on a cold, gray day at Hunters Ridge Golf Course in Marion.
Furnish fired a 7-over-par 79 on the 5,090-yard layout to beat Madison Goodfellow of Iowa City West by one stroke. Kimmy Askelson of Xavier finished third at 89 in the blustery conditions.
The golfers wore jackets, hats and mittens in an effort to keep warm with the temperature in the low 40s and the wind-chill lower than that. It was not a day for low scores, but Furnish topped the field of 49 golfers from nine schools.
"It shows a lot of character and heart," Jefferson Coach Dan Ray said. "She came off the front-9 with a 42 and I could tell she wasn't satisfied."
Furnish shot a 1-over-par 37 on the back-9 for the title. "That's tough to do under these conditions," Ray said.
Furnish had to beat the elements before she could beat the rest of the golfers.
"Try to stay positive and stay focused on the ball, not the weather," she said. "I tried to focus on my shots, not the other people. Stay positive, stay focused, and my putting came around a little better."
Furnish was paired with Askelson and Emma Lorenz of Linn-Mar. Askelson finished fourth in the Class 4A state tournament last year and has signed with Drake, but she struggled with a lingering calf injury and shot 43-46 for her 89.
Askelson had a pair of triple-bogey 7s on her card and a triple-bogey 8, hardly a typical day for the Xavier ace. She tore a muscle in her right calf last season and it bothered her Wednesday in the cold air.
"It was miserable," Askelson said 20 minutes after her round, her hands still cold. "It was really cold and it looked like it was going to rain all day, but it didn't. It was windy. Just not golf weather."
Furnish had a double-bogey 6 on the second hole, but otherwise avoided serious trouble.
"She's a student of the game," Ray said. "She knows her yardage, she knows the club she wants to hit.
"She's a hard worker," he said. "She really puts a lot into her game and stays the extra time after practices. She's very coachable and willing to learn, and it's all paying off for her."
Furnish, a junior at Jefferson, would like to play golf in college in two years. "I'm definitely looking at some colleges," she said. "I like Missouri State, and Iowa is definitely a possibility. I'd like to stay around the Midwest."
Furnish is aiming for the state tournament this year, and she'd like to do much more than just qualify.
"She has set her goal high," Ray said. "She wants to win state."
Jefferson won the CRANDIC team championship with a four-girl total of 393 shots. Xavier placed second at 399.
CRANDIC GOLF MEET
At Hunters Ridge
Team Standings
1. Jefferson 393, 2. Xavier 399, 3. Iowa City West 403, 4. Linn-Mar 406, 5. Iowa City High 414, 6. Prairie 441, 7. Kennedy 449, 8. Washington 450, 9. Marion 457.
Top 5 Individuals
Par-72
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) 95, Alyssa Adamec (ICW) 95.
JEFFERSON (393): Megan Furnish 79, Leah Groe 101, Hillary Harriman 104, Emily Aukes 109.
XAVIER (399): Kimmy Askelson 89, Lisa Olberding 98, Grace Winker 100, Maddie Bertsch 112.
IOWA CITY WEST (403): Madison Goodfellow 80, Alyssa Adamec 95, Madyson Boardman 114, Olivia Ewing 114.
LINN-MAR (406): Emma Lorenz 94, Julie Pople 102, Sarah Tegtmeier 102, Dionna Jensen 108.
IOWA 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): Ali 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.
