Patritto heads to state meet
May 31, 2011
Ottumwa High School KELLY TERPSTRA Ottumwa Courier
OTTUMWA — Lush, large greens, two breathtaking lakes and a rustic pine log cabin clubhouse to rest one’s feet after a long day out on the links.
It doesn’t get any better than that for golf aficionados.
Darby Patritto, welcome to River Valley Golf Course and the Class 4A state tournament.
Located along the scenic Racoon River Valley in Adel, the par-72 course will play host to the large-school class tourney today and Wednesday, as well as 3A action. Otter Creek, just in nearby Ankeny, holds the 2A and 1A state meet.
Patritto, a junior, was almost joined by the rest of her team up in Dallas County. Ottumwa shot a season-low 18-hole total of 366 at its regional in Cedar Rapids — only to come up an eyelash short of qualifying for state as a team. Ottumwa, regional runner-up, tied with Linn-Marion, who advanced to state on the fifth-score tiebreaker.
“It couldn’t hit home more – that every stroke counts,” said Ottumwa head coach Stephanie Carroll.
Patritto will head to state with the best round (85) of her season under her belt, carded at the Jones Municipal Golf Course regional. Carroll thinks she’ll do well on a course where reading the variances in the sloping layout is essential to low rounds.
“There’s a lot of elevation changes. Darby can adjust very well to do that because she’s grown up playing the country club,” said Carroll. “It’s definitely a course you can score well on.”
Ottumwa’s Hailey Sheldahl competed at state last season and finished 16th. The Bulldogs, under the direction of Dusty Stewart, won the Class 4A team title in 2007 and finished state runner-up the following year.
