GOLF: Williams catches fire on back 9 as Claremore claims conference title

Jack Williams saved his best for last, and it carried Claremore to a championship.

After an even-par front nine, Williams caught fire on the back side at Shangri-La Resort, carding a 3-under 33 with 4 birdies to finish at 69 and lead the Zebras to the Metro Lakes Conference title Wednesday in Afton.

Claremore won the boys team championship with a 320, finishing first out of seven teams behind a dominant one-two punch from Williams and Tate Dunlap.

BOYS

Williams opened with nine steady holes, recording a birdie on the par-5 fourth while mixing in 7 pars and a lone bogey on No. 6 to make the turn at even-par 36.

Then came the surge.

Williams bogeyed No. 10 but immediately responded with a birdie on the par-3 11th. He added another birdie on the par-3 13th, then really took control with back-to-back birdies on holes 14 [par 4] and 16 [par 5].

He closed with pars on 17 and 18 to seal a 69 — 3 strokes under par — and the individual title.

Dunlap, who finished third with a 75, also delivered on the back nine.

After a tough start that included 5 bogeys on the front, Dunlap made the turn at 41 but flipped the round on the back. He settled in with a string of pars before breaking through with a birdie on the par-4 14th.

Then came the highlight of the day.

On the par-5 16th, Dunlap eagled the hole, vaulting himself up the leaderboard and finishing the back nine at 34. He closed with steady pars on 17 and 18 to secure a top-three finish.

Claremore’s depth rounded out the team title, with Cooper Mason shooting 87 for take 13th, Kavan Smith adding an 89 to tie for 16th and finish 18th on tiebreakers and Tristan Fuller carding a 92 for 19th.

GIRLS

On the girls side, the Lady Zebras placed second out of five teams with a 396, finishing behind Tahlequah [369].

Ava Pettus and Kate Merriman led the way, each shooting 96 to tie for seventh.

Pettus’ round was a grind from start to finish.

She opened with a 49 on the front nine, navigating a mix of bogeys, double bogeys and a triple bogey. On the back, she found some stability, highlighted by back-to-back pars on holes 14 and 15, but continued to battle through tough stretches, finishing with a 47 on the inward nine.

Merriman’s round took a different shape.

She was steady early, opening with a 41 on the front nine that included pars on holes 1, 2, 6, 7 and 9. But the back nine proved difficult, as she encountered multiple double bogeys and a quintuple bogey on the par-5 15th, leading to a 55 on the back and a 96 overall.

Brooklyn Babbitt followed with a 98 to place 10th, while Victoria Leal added a 106 for 12th and Kiera Kokko-Petty shot a 119 to round out Claremore’s lineup in 24th.