In any other state golf tournament, Ronnie Harrell’s 3-under score of 69 would have him either in the lead or one shot off.
In the Class 1A boys event at Columbia Point Golf Club in Richland, which features reigning PNGA junior amateur champion Zach Wanderscheid of Goldendale, it’s just good enough to stay within striking distance.
The Port Townsend senior finds himself tied with three golfers and looking up at two others — Wanderscheid at 65 and Highland’s Minwoo Park at 67 — after shooting his best round of the year Tuesday.
“That was his best round of golf, period,” Port Townsend coach Gabriel Tonan said. “He’s on cloud nine right now. He’s just having a great time.”
Harrell is one of two North Olympic Peninsula golfers who sit four shots off the lead at a state tournament entering today.
Sequim’s Zoei Zbaraschuk is the other.
Zbaraschuk shot a 2-over 74 in her first round at the 2A girls event at Apple Tree Golf Resort in Yakima.
Trails only one
She trails only Alexis Keating of Elma at 70, with two others tied with her in second place going into the final round today.
“Every year at state the first day has kind of put her back in the leader board, and she’s right in the thick of it this time,” Sequim girls coach Garrett Smithson said. “It’s pretty awesome.”
A total of four Peninsula golfers are in the top 10 after one round.
That list also includes Chimacum’s Mason Moug, who sits in a four-way tie for seventh place in the 1A boys tourney with a 73.
“That was his best competitive round I think [Moug]’s ever shot in a tournament,” said Cowboys coach Mitch Black, who has another golfer, Erik Nelson, one shot back of Moug.
“Last year he three-putted 11 times and shot an 83 at the same course, so I knew he had it in him.”
Port Townsend’s Jenny Grauberger is tied for seventh in the 1A girls event at Columbia Point.
Grauberger is five shots below Freeman’s Alyssa Maine, who shot an 80 to lead a group of 20 girls who made the 1A cut from the original 40.
“She’s in contention,” Tonan said. “If she goes out and plays well [today] she might be able to place in the top five or who knows.”
Each of the other A tournaments began with 80 golfers before being cut to 40 after Tuesday’s 18 holes.
Here is a roundup of each state tournament involving Peninsula golfers:
3A tournaments
RICHLAND — A pair of Port Angeles Roughrider golfers came tantalizingly close to the second day at their respective tournaments on Tuesday.
Two-time state participant Tracie DuPuis finished three shots off the cut in the 3A girls tournament at Horn Rapids Golf Club.
Jordan Negus was also just three shots off the second day cut in his first 3A boys appearance.
The sophomore shot an 82 at Meadow Springs Country Club, narrowly missing what turned out to be the lowest cut of the day.
Freshman Garrett Payton finished out of the top 40 in his first state trip after shooting an 88.
The Port Angeles girls other two-time state golfers, seniors Ev Grier and Emily Cook, also missed the cut.
Grier finished in tied for 60th with a 97 and Cook tied for 63rd with a 99.
2A tournaments
YAKIMA — The fourth time might be a charm for Zbaraschuk.
The four-time state participant has finished in the top 10 each of the past two years at state.
Zbaraschuk’s 74 on Tuesday was the best 18-hole tournament round of her career, with the senior rebounding from a 3-over front nine with a 1-under back nine that included a birdie on No. 18.
“She left some out there,” said Smithson of Zbaraschuk, who made the cut for the fourth time in her prep career. “All facets of her game were solid.
“If Zoei hits the ball [today] like she did [Tuesday] and she makes a couple more of her shorter putts that she missed today, she has a real good chance of catching [Keating].”
Zbaraschuk was one of two Sequim girls who moved on to the final round, with Kim Duce shooting a 95 to finish three shots ahead of the cut.
Ryan O’Mera was the lone Sequim boy to make the cut, shooting a 4-over 76 to head into today’s round in 16th-place. He shot an even-par front nine before finishing 4-over coming in.
“Ryan had a great round, he really did,” Sequim boys coach Vic Quinet said. “His goal is to be in that top five this year as a sophomore.
“He’s going to be right there.”
Missing the cut for the Sequim girls was Hailey Estes at 100.
Steven Loerlein (86) and Mallory Maloney (93) both fell short of the final round for the boys.
1A tournaments
RICHLAND — Harrell leads a group of three Redskins who advanced to the final round of golf at Columbia Point.
Cody Piper, tied with three other golfers for 31st at 79, and Sean Anderson, tied with five others in 35th at 80, both squeaked into the last day with scores just inside of the cut (80).
Harrell, however, stole the show with a masterful 4-under front nine and a 1-over back nine that was capped by a birdie for a 69.
“He played really about as good as you can on the front nine,” Tonan said.
“He’s capable of shooting lower. He’s got all the tools, but he’s never put it all together like that.”
Tonan thinks Harrell will have to repeat that round once again, if not better it, to catch Wanderscheid, the defending 1A state champion.
The two will be in the same group today.
“He’s a solid stick,” Tonan said of Wanderscheid. “It’s going to be really hard to catch him, but I’d like to see Ronnie go out and shoot another round like he did today.”
The Cowboys have a pair of golfers sitting in the top 15 in Moug and Nelson.
Nelson, rebounded from a triple bogey on first hole, shooting 1-under the rest of the way for a 74, while Moug was even-par going out and 1-over coming in for a 73.
“I couldn’t be happier with the result today,” said Black, who is looking to have a Cowboy golfer finish in the top 15 for the fifth straight year.
“Erik could have shot better, but he got off to a poor start and still held on. To hold with that kind of start, I was proud of him.”
Grauberger was the lone Port Townsend girl to reach state, and she made the most of it with an 85 on Tuesday.
“All around it was a good solid round of golf,” Tonan said.
A pack of four golfers are one shot ahead of her at 84, while Chewelah’s Arlee Coleman is second with an 83 and Maine on top at 80.
The fourth Port Townsend boy to qualify for state, Gabe Hensley, missed the cut after shooting a 92 in the first round.