FWB boys in 4th, Niceville 12th after first round of golf state

From the moment Andrew Snyder first laid eyes on the course at The Country Club at Silver Springs Shores in Ocala, the Fort Walton Beach senior felt as if he’d found the golfing equivalent of his better half.

“I came out here for a practice round and I loved the course from the start,” Snyder said. “I’d play it five times in the next two days if I could.”

So on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 2A state finals, Snyder and his Vikings teammates continued their late-season surge, firing an opening-round team score of 302 to enter the clubhouse in fourth place and only four strokes back of leader St. Thomas Aquinas.

Snyder, along with fellow senior Brett Ochsenreiter, carded a 73 to lead the Vikings while Kyle Andre (77), Davis Bowyer (79) and Duncan Conroy (79) helped Fort Walton Beach finish Day 1 as the only team to have every golfer finish in the 70s.

“We really didn’t know what to expect,” Vikings coach John Lavin said. “We just wanted to go out and do the best we could. Now, these kids have proven we can play with anybody in the state. I’d put these five up against any five on any single day.”

Martin County (299) and Lake Mary (300) are second and third, respectively, behind St. Thomas Aquinas (298) in a tightly-packed field, setting the stage for what should be a dramatic final day of the season today.

“They realize what’s at stake,” Lavin said. “They know it’s an opportunity that no other golf team has had in our area. They’re going to take advantage of this moment because that’s the type of kids they are.”

On the girls side, Jaime Jordan turned in a first-round score of 78 to lead Niceville to 12th place following the first round at Ocala Golf Club in Ocala.  Lake Mary (311), Viera (320), Durant (328), Gulf Breeze (330) and Olympia (338) rounded out the top five.

Eagles’ coach Mitch Inness credited the steady play and leadership of his lone senior for having a calming effect on an otherwise green team.

“I’m really pleased with my senior leadership,” Inness said. “That was the first sub-80 round for our team in a couple of years at the state tournament.”

Sophomore Ivey Kelley shot an 88 while freshman Kayla Bloor ended the day with a 94. Rachel Butterfield carded a 96 and Rebekah Pruett turned in a 100.

With Day 1 officially in the books, Inness said he expects to see his team cut “20 to 25” strokes off of its score today.

“We didn’t have the best of days, but we left a lot of room for improvement out there,” Inness said.