Preps

Eagles advance with help from controversy

A disqualification opens the door for Springstead, and Central wins.

By David Murphy
Published October 16, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Lance Aram Rothstein | Times] Land O'Lakes senior Wes Parrish beats Central's Tom Bastien in a playoff for fifth place.

WESLEY CHAPEL - It took 81/2 hours, three playoffs and one controversial disqualification, but the district tournamentfinally played itself out.

Central nabbed its second straight title, Land O'Lakes qualified for the first time in a long time, and Springstead eked into the region match thanks in large part to a junior who spent his summer golfing in Wisconsin.

Land O'Lakes No.2 golfer, Josh Barnett, shot 75, losing to Springstead's Kevin Hubbard in a playoff to finish third. Gators coach Tom Clark said the last time Land O'Lakes qualified for a region tournament was in the early 1990s.

Though Wesley Chapel failed to qualify as a team for the first time in five years, No.1 Mike Wozniak shot 79 and beat Forest's Justin Grant to advance.

Tom Bastien shot 77 to lead a well-rounded effort by Central, which shot a combined 321 to beat Land O'Lakes by 15 strokes. Land O'Lakes senior Wes Parrish beat Bastien in a playoff for fifth place.

"Where we've had success is not one guy going really low, it's all five playing well," said Central coach Gary Morton, whose team won its second straight title.

Springstead rode the back of Hubbard to a third-place team finish, giving the Eagles the final spot in Monday's region match at Magnolia Plantation in Lake Mary. The junior spent his summer living with his grandparents in Lake Geneva, Wis., and playing in tournaments across the state.

But Springstead's finish wasn't without some controversy. Ocala Belleview golfer Wayne Argast, who shot 74, was disqualified for throwing his club after a shot. That forced Belleview to use the 140 its No.5 golfer posted, knocking it from what would have been a third-place finish.

Belleview coach Jim Keenan, who did not see the incident, said there were conflicting reports on the force with which Argast flung his club.

"It becomes an argument of a toss versus a throw," Keenan said.

A committee of coaches interviewed witnesses and ultimately voted to disqualify Argast.

[Last modified October 15, 2007, 22:57:40]