District Golf Mini

FRONT ROYAL — When Sam Thome told Jag Fitzsimmons what his final score was after each had finished their 18-hole round at the second Class 4 Northwestern District mini on Monday at Shenandoah Valley Golf Club, Fitzsimmons was understandably in disbelief.

“How are you swinging like that in the rain?” Fitzsimmons said.

“I don’t know,” Thome said. “I had two rain gloves.”

That, along with an abundance of talent, aggression and focus.

Thome shot a 5-under 66 on the Red and White nines to blow away the field by 10 shots and obliterate his previous best competition score by six strokes, a 72 he accomplished at SVGC last year. The senior led the Judges to a winning four-player score of 310, 29 strokes better than runner-up James Wood (339) in the five-school competition. Millbrook was third (344), Liberty was fourth (364) and Sherando did not score. Several Warriors missed the tournament for various reasons and only two competed.

“This was really cool to do,” Thome said. “I felt good out there. I definitely broke a little barrier today.”

Rain started falling before anyone finished half their rounds on Monday. It was mostly heavy precipitation after the lead group that Thome was part of hit the Red No. 9 hole, and it was also medium and light at times. It finally stopped once the lead group hit the final two holes.

It was evident from the words uttered by many golfers that the rain damaged their games on Monday, but Thome thrived, playing his best golf after the rain came. After shooting 1-under through nine holes, Thome recorded a bogey-free, 4-under-par 31 on the White Nine, a course he only plays when he’s competing in a tournament like Monday.

Thome had a personal-record seven birdies, but his round didn’t start out as anything special. He bogeyed two of the first three holes on the Red.

“I settled in and made some pars,” said Thome, who also birdied Red No. 4 and No. 6. “One-under on the front nine was good, but I knew the rain was coming.”

With the rain at its heaviest, Thome hit an approach shot from 145 yards to 10 feet for a birdie to rev up his day on White No. 1. He then birdied White No. 2, No. 6 and No. 8 to beat his personal record (35 or 36, he said) on the White Nine.

The two rain gloves that Thome mentioned to Fitzsimmons certainly helped with his performance. Handley coach Troy Mezzatesta said not everyone had two in their bag.

“I kept them on when I was putting, even though I normally don’t putt with any gloves,” Thome said. “I was like, ‘I’m putting it well, I’m hitting it well, let’s just keep them on the whole time,’ and I ended up doing good. I just felt like I could match the speed with the line on all the putts. I was hitting it great on the approach and able to put myself in play off the tee, and that really helped a lot.”

Thome noted that simply being aggressive helped. In his last competition round in South Riding last week, he shot a 35 on the front nine and 40 on the back, which he attributed to nerves.

“I was like, ‘Let’s keep the pedal on the gas,’” said Thome, who pulled away from runner-up Liam Collins of Liberty (76).

Mezzatesta couldn’t be prouder of Thome.

“We’ve talked a lot about grinding on each shot,” Mezzatesta said. “This is a testament to everything he’s done the last couple of years and this summer. It’s always nice to see the process working.”

Jag Fitzsimmons wasn’t too shabby either, taking third overall with an 80. With his twin brother Dash and Jackson Bouder shooting 82s, the Judges had a team total that was better than any score they’ve shot in the past two seasons.

“I told them an old saying that I think I heard [Pittsburgh Steelers coach] Mike Tomlin say, ‘Too tough for them, just right for us,’” said Mezzatesta, referencing the rain. “They’re getting tired of hearing me say it when I hear them talking about how when it’s February, it’s cold out. I don’t want them to think they have the opportunity to make excuses.

“I think they did a good job of battling through it. They played [two rounds in Loudoun County in the Birds of Prey] tournament last week, and they finished stronger in these conditions than they did last week. They were upset with their scores, but I reminded them they did better today than in arguably perfect conditions.”

James Wood scorers were Brayden Rockwell (82), Ian Longo (83), Jake Bursey (86) and Laney Stiles (88).

“Our goal today was to try and shoot 330 or a little bit below, but that was before the rain came,” James Wood coach David Oates said. “We’re young, and some of these kids, this is the first time they’re playing matches. We’re kind of heading in the right direction. We’re just trying to get low at the end of the year.”

Millbrook senior Rich Pell, who won the first district mini at Fauquier Springs with a 76, took fourth overall with an 81. He was a bit frustrated with his round Monday, but he thinks his golf game as a whole has improved this season.

“I just lost focus on the back nine,” said Pell, who shot 39 on the Red and 42 on the White. “My approach shots weren’t as good as they usually are today. I didn’t hit as many greens as I should have.

“I do think I’m more consistent this year. Today I felt like I didn’t play close to my best golf, and I shot an 81. It’s not a great score, but it’s not terrible either.”

The Pioneers also were led by Logan Limoges (85), Travis Hambrick (87) and Trenton Conley (91), a freshman who participated in his first competition for the Pioneers.

“Our freshmen did very well today, which kind of gives me a glimpse into the future,” said Millbrook coach Tim Deegan, who also saw freshman Tyler Learn shoot a 93. “It’s exciting to see them step in and be able to adapt. The fact that they’re scoring as well as they are is very impressive to me. The maturity that they’re showing is amazing.

“Everybody improved, especially after the Licklider (also at SVGC). The rain hurt us a little bit today, but overall, we powered through it. It’s about the improvement.”

For Sherando, Kieran Lindberg shot an 88 and Tyler Lease recorded a 100.

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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