The South Loup Bobcat golf team kicked off the season last Thursday at the Augusta Winds Golf Course in Stapleton. Despite the Amherst varsity meet being canceled due to weather and a good chunk of the team absent for State FFA and a funeral, the Bobcats still fielded a team of four golfers for this varsity tournament.

The nine-hole, par 74 course provided some challenges for the Bobcats, but they proved to be consistent in each round of play. While none of them came home with a medal, they still saw improvement each round.

Junior Dawson Doggett had the best score on the team with a 105, followed by Dillon Handley with a 112, and right on his heels with a 114 was Brady Brestel. Freshman Haydn Stretesky scored a 124 in his first high school meet.

Brestel saw the most improvement between rounds, hitting a 63 in the first and a 51 in the second. Doggett improved by 7 strokes between the first and second rounds - 56 and 49, respectively. Handley also saw his score drop between rounds - 58 and 54, and Stretesky shot a 61 in the first round and a 63 in the second round.

The Bobcats will hit the links again on Thursday in Arnold with tee time at 10 a.m.

(Left) Dawson Doggett takes a swing during the season opening meet for the Bobcat golfers.