Lions take first at Stamford tournament with 317

The Albany Lions golf team put together one of its strongest rounds of the season Monday, winning the Stamford golf tournament held March 23 with a team total of 317 and finishing well ahead of the rest of the field.

Using the best four scores from each team, Albany separated itself early and never gave up the lead. The Lions finished 30 strokes ahead of second-place Jayton, which posted a 347. Stamford followed closely behind in third at 348, while Hamlin finished fourth with a 359. Hawley placed fifth at 380, followed by Haskell at 395 and Anson at 401. Rotan and Merkel tied for eighth with matching scores of 416.

Albany’s lineup showed consistency across the board, which proved to be the difference. Trevor Bellah led the team with a 75, one of the top rounds of the day. Connor Smith followed with a 77, giving the Lions two scores in the 70s. Huffman Heatly added an 81, while Clay Chapman rounded out the scoring four with an 84. Aiden Vickers also competed for Albany and finished with a 90.

Bellah’s 75 stood as the second-lowest round of the tournament, finishing just two strokes behind Stamford’s Alek Hernandez, who posted a 73.

In the medalist race, which is separate from team scoring, Ace Townson finished first with a round of 89.

Head coach Tate Thompson said the performance reflected the team’s ability to rely on multiple players rather than one standout round.

“This was a good tune-up for district,” said Thompson. “We’ve got some guys playing good team golf right now, and when some aren’t playing well, the rest seem to pick up the slack. Hopefully, we’re locked in as we get ready to go win a district championship and more after that.”

With district approaching, the Lions appear to be hitting their stride at the right time. Their ability to post multiple solid rounds and limit high scores was a key factor in the win and will be important moving forward.

Albany will return to the course for the district tournament on Monday and Tuesday, March 30 and 31, at Shady Oaks Golf Course in Baird.