BaldwinCity.com

Despite a less than stellar performance, Mason Dick did his best to represent Baldwin High School at the Class 4A regional golf tournament Monday in Ottawa.

Dick, a BHS junior, shot a 78 to place third overall. That was good enough to earn him a spot at the state golf tournament Monday in Manhattan.

"I played several strokes above my average on the year, so I wish I could have posted a little lower number," Dick said. "Overall, I was pleased with the way that I battled through adversity during my round. On the front nine I struggled hitting more trees than I did fairways, but I bounced back on the back nine to put up a somewhat respectable number."

He was the lone Bulldog to advance past the regional round, but Dick said the course and wind conditions made for a tough day for everyone.

"The course was not in good shape by any means and due to this, the course actually played harder as the numbers showed," Dick said. "The wind was a major factor during the course of play. It was gusting at around 30 miles per hour at times, forcing me to make and create shots as opposed to just swinging naturally."

Dick has led BHS at several meets this spring. He moved to Baldwin City from Buhler this year and has made an immediate impact on the golf team. At the league tournament, he placed runner-up, shooting a 1-under par score of 71 west of Lawrence at Eagle Bend.

He won three tournaments this season. He won at Spring Hill, Santa Fe Trail and Prairie View. His best score came at Prairie View, when he shot a 2-under par 70.

His success during the season had him ready for the regional competition.

"I was fairly confident going into regionals this year," he said. "One, because I have been to state my freshman and sophomore years, and two, because we were facing the same teams that we mostly had all year long. I had only failed to break the top five at one tournament all year and since only five individuals go to state, I was pretty confident."

With two years of state experience under his belt, Dick is ready to represent BHS Monday in Manhattan.

"I am very excited for state this year and looking forward to playing a great course in Stagg Hill in Manhattan," Dick said. "It should be a tough layout, but hopefully we will battle through it. This is my junior season and this will be my third consecutive year making the trip to the state tourney."