Johnson cards 85 to lead Bulldog golfers in Lewiston

SANDPOINT — Joel Johnson was crushing the ball, but like most of the Bulldogs he struggled around the greens, still manging to card an 85 to lead Sandpoint on Monday at the Lewiston Invitational.

Johnson was playing his first round of the season, and despite a four-putt and some struggles in the short game, he still shot a solid 85 to tee off his season,, mostly due to striping the ball.

“He’s hitting the ball well, the only problem was around the green. He’s striking the ball really well,” described Bulldog head coach Tom Tharp of Johnson. “He had some silly mistakes around the green or he could have easily been in the 70s.”

Lake Wilks shot 92 and Nick Crowley 93 for the Bulldog boys, who shaved 29 strokes off their score from the first week.

CeCe Deprez shot a 97, the lone Bulldog girls to break 100, while four freshman scored, a rarity for a varsity team and bright sign for the future..

“The girls were hitting the ball well,” said Tharp, who said the who team struggled with the short game. “From 50 yards and in they were having trouble. That will come when they get on the grass.”

Sandpoint is off until a Ryder Cup style event with Lakeland on April 9.

LEWISTON INVITATIONAL

BOYS

Lewiston Country Club, par 72

TEAM SCORES: 1. Lewiston 324, 2. Lake City 327, 3. Coeur d’Alene 329, 4. Post Falls 335, 5. Kellogg 338, 6. Mountain View 344, 7. Pullman 367, 8. Sandpoint 368, 9. LaGrande 380, 10. Clarkston 403, 11. Lakeland 425, 12. Moscow 427.

Medalist: Brayden Ogle, Coeur d’Alene, 76

SANDPOINT — Nick Crowley 93, Lake Wilks 92, Joel Johnson 85, Caelin Darling 98, Harley Wilks 106, Seth McCutchan, Jaden DuMars 118.

GIRLS

Bryden Canyon Golf Course, par 72

TEAM SCORES: 1. Lewiston 368, 2. Lake City 379, 3. LaGrande 407, 4. Sandpoint 408, 5. Post Falls 443, 6. Lakeland 474, 7. Pullman 490.

SANDPOINT — CeCe Deprez 97, Camille Neuder 105, Hattie Larson 104, Hannah Hurst 101, Karsen Granier 111, Annaby Kanning 128, Morgan Hogue 129.