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Wiregrass Ranch Boys Golf Team Hits Big-Time

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By BART O'CONNELL Tribune correspondent

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 20, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - When asked if he has gotten taller in the past year, Wiregrass Ranch sophomore Dylan Larson squints and spreads his thumb and forefinger about two inches apart.

"Not very much," he said.

Thankfully, at 5-foot-4 "with my shoes on" and weighing 112 pounds, Larson doesn't have to be big to play big on the golf course.

With the rest of his Bulls teammates, who all seem to be improving on the course faster than they grow, Wiregrass Ranch (7-1) beat previously unbeaten Land O' Lakes (6-1) 156-164 Thursday afternoon at Plantation Palms, the Gators' home course.

Larson negated any advantage Land O' Lakes' top player Josh Barnett normally provides by tying him for medalist honors with an even-par 36 in the lead group. He thought of the duel as match play.

"I like match play, where it's close. When I play with golfers that aren't as good as me, I just try to beat them. Here, I play the best that I can," Larson said. "I kind of like competition, when it's hard."

Driving the ball between 240 and 250 yards and consistently finding his targets with a little draw, Larson hit six of seven fairways and seven of nine greens on the 3,223-yard Plantation Palms front nine.

He birdied the 379-yard, par-4 second hole after hitting his approach shot to about 4 feet, and his lone bogey came after a tricky chip shot fed into a slight downhill slope at the 175-yard, par-3 fourth.

Barnett, one of Pasco County's best players who works part-time in the course's cart barn, also shot even par, navigating through the layout without hitting driver.

Rarely getting into any serious trouble, with a game that seems to suit any kind of course, he also hit seven greens, but he made his lone birdie at the most difficult hole, the 415-yard, par-4 eighth, after a nearly-blind approach shot settled within 5 feet.

"I never really had any luck with the putter," said Barnett, who has shot 33 on the layout. "There were probably a couple birdies out there that I should have had."

That left the match in the hands of the rest of the squads, and difference was the Bulls' depth. Senior captain James Mudge (39) and freshman Logan Horrigan (38) also broke 40. Chris Kluender had 43 to round out Wiregrass' day.

Larson had shaved about four shots off his stroke average thanks to improved length and ball-striking into the greens. The rest of the team has followed suit.

After posting an early-season win against Mitchell and following up with Thursday's win, the Bulls now are seen as a contender in the Sunshine Athletic Conference with Ridgewood, Mitchell and the Gators. Their only loss was to the Rams.

"James has had two personal-best rounds his last two times out ... yeah, definitely the fact that they've improved a lot makes a huge difference," said Bulls coach Nick Cuviello. "My No. 3 man, Logan, has the exact same average that Dylan has (38)."

Despite two birdies from the Gators' long-hitting No. 2 Brad Renner, who shot 43, the second-best Land O' Lakes score was turned in by Jesse Boger (41). Harrison Grimes had a 44.

Bart O'Connell can be reached at tampasport@gmail.com.

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