WOOD RIVER – The opening round of the Dick Gerber Boys Golf Tournament at Belk Park featured a strong field and plenty of low scores Friday morning, with the top of the leaderboard separated by just a few strokes.
Edwardsville’s Bennett Briggs and Effingham St. Anthony’s Logan Gowin shared the first-round lead after firing impressive 66s, six strokes under par.
Briggs, a junior for Edwardsville, and Gowin, a sophomore from St. Anthony, set the early pace while Belleville Althoff Catholic’s Carson Tribout finished third with a 70 (-2).
A group of five golfers finished at 71 (-1), including Waterloo sophomore Caden Kite, Normal University juniors Jack Quinn and Dawson Freeman, Alton senior Landon Mayer and Roxana senior Will Stevens IV.
Three golfers finished even-par at 72: Pekin junior Colin Kemp, Edwardsville junior Michael Shaw and Highland sophomore Eli Lucas.
Roxana also had a strong showing near the top of the leaderboard, with sophomore Myles Bertoletti carding a 73 (+1) to tie for 12th.
Several other area golfers finished within striking distance. Edwardsville’s Luke Maxim shot 73, while Breese Mater Dei’s Maddox Rakers and Chatham Glenwood’s Lucas Boualavong also posted 73s.
The Edwardsville contingent placed several golfers among the tournament leaders. Drew Capron finished with a 75 (+3), while Joel Fields, Kipton Keller and Brett Kirgan each shot 78 (+6).
Breese Mater Dei was represented by Bryce Toennies and Liam McAllaster at 74, while Will Kampwerth shot 75 and Bennett Moss and Cooper Klay each finished with 76.
The tournament’s opening round showed the depth of the field, with golfers from Class 1A, 2A, and 3A schools competing at Belk Park.
Edwardsville leads the team scores with a 286, followed by Effingham St Anthony with a 292 and Normal University with a 298.
The second day of the tournament is Saturday.
