BURLINGTON — Humboldt High School freshman Connor Newman continues turning heads on the golf course after taking the top spot in Wednesday’s Burlington Invitational.
Newman, who won the Caney Valley Invitational earlier this month, proved that was not a flash in the pan performance. He ended the Burlington tournament by shooting 71, three strokes ahead of his nearest competitor.
“I was glad with how Connor fought back from his opening rough stretch,” Humboldt coach Bret Houser said. “He figured out that the greens were playing slow and straight and that he just had to be more aggressive green-side. Anytime you can string together nine pars in high school golf you’re going to be competitive, but we’d like to add a few more birdies.”
After starting the day with a 37 on the front nine holes, Newman improved his performance on the back nine after shooting a 34 for the 3-over 71. Junior Layne Ellison took 26th after shooting a 55 on the front and 46 on the back to card a 101.
“Ellison came out and shot his new personal best, 101, lowering his score from Burlington last year by 10 strokes,” Houser said. “Ellison was hitting more consistent shots yesterday and was able to eliminate some errant shots, which have driven up his scores.”
Senior Curt Shannon, senior Colden Cook and freshman Bryer Grisier finished 34, 35 and 36, respectively, with only a few strokes separating Shannon’s 109 from Grisier. The Cubs finished fifth overall.
“The team ended up in fifth place (out of eight) playing against some bigger schools,” Houser said. “I am excited for the weeks ahead as more of my golfers are getting closer to breaking 100 which will start to put us on the doorstep of a team medal at a meet (top three medal). They’ll keep working and hope to see scores keep dropping.”
