State quest is delayed

Published 9:07 am Friday, June 6, 2008

It seems the golf gods have a cruel sense of humor.

Just as United South Central senior golfer Alex Pederson started to build some momentum after playing four of the most difficult holes on the back nine at the Ridges at Sand Creek Golf Course Thursday in the Class AA state tournament the rain came down and lightning followed, resulting in the first day being postponed.

Pederson had completed seven holes and stood at four over par and faces a 10 foot birdie putt that could get his round moving in the right direction.

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“That would get his round back on track,” Rebels golf head coach Randy Halvorson said. “Talking about the round before we began I told him that if you can get through 12, 13 and 14 just a couple over par, you’ll be able to really charge through 16 and 17 and pick up some speed. The front nine is an easier nine for him. There are a lot of opportunities for him to get strings of pars and maybe some birdies.”

The postponed round is yet another obstacle for Pederson to overcome. It took him five years to reach the state tournament after coming up short in a playoff and missing out on a top five finish in sections by less than three strokes every other time that would have advanced him to state.

After finally reaching the tournament, all he wants to do is play his round.

“Even though I’m not playing well, it’s the state tournament so I just want to play,” Pederson said. “I just want to play as many holes as I can because it’s so fun out there.”

He played the first seven holes very conservatively, holding off on hitting his driver in order to set himself up for better shots to reach the greens.

“Right now I’m trying to play it smart and not take any risks,” Pederson said. “There are some spots you can get into trouble.”

Pederson avoided any hazards but his putting was a letdown.

“He’s really having a difficult time with his putting,” Halvorson said. “He’s driving the ball very well. If he was putting well he’d be at par golf right now.”

Thus, the birdie putt waiting for him on No. 17 becomes vitally important.

“I wanted to try to putt that it in,” Pederson said. “I’ve been playing a little too much break and it’s been on the high side. My reads are probably causing my score to be a little high.”

Tournament officials decided to resume play today at 7 a.m. from exactly where the golfers ended Thursday and will try to complete the 36-hole tournament in whole.

The biggest concern is trying to fit the entire tournament in as the girls are scheduled to compete prior to the boys taking the course. Tournament officials have scheduled a meeting with coaches at 6:30 a.m. today to discuss all of the issues that come into play following a heavy rain on the course, some which include bunkers filled with water.

With the conditions taking a turn for the worse and the scrambling to put together an acceptable solution to complete the tournament, Halvorson said the scores would be more on the high side.

“You won’t see many low scores coming in as a result of this,” Halvorson said. “I was thinking two under was going to be the score to shoot for, but now one over would be more likely to score.”

Making a birdie putt would not only put Pederson at three under and presumably back in contention, it would also serve as a confidence boost to his short game.

“I’ve been playing better than that, I just haven’t putted well,” he said.

One of the positives of the extended break is that Pederson could talk with Halvorson about his putting and also speak with his older brother Tyler who went to state four times.

Still that’s a heck of a putt to have weighing on your mind overnight.