Prairie City golfer Eli Wright lines up a putt during the GUHS Invite on Friday, April 14, 2023 at the John Day Golf Club. 

The defending district champion Grant Union golf team welcomed five other teams, including a newly formed Prairie City team, to the John Day Golf Course for the GUHS Invite on Thursday, April 14.

The boys competed against five other squads.

It was a tough day for the host school, which has only a single returning starter from last year’s title-winning team.

Burns took first place honors with a team score of 390.

The new Prairie City boys golf team came in second with 398 team points. Grant Union finished in sixth place with 527 team points.

Sawyer Quinton of Prairie City took home top honors at the tournament, shooting a 69 on the afternoon. Quinton finished ahead of second place Colton Miller of Burns by a whopping nine strokes.

GUHS boys scorers included Till Winegar (108), Lucas Wolf (109), Rylan Cox (141) and Riley Gregg (171).

There were only two complete teams on the girls side, with Grant Union edging out second-place Enterprise 508-525. Layla Wenick and Brylinn Combs of Grant Union finished third and fourth in the girls standings with scores of 112 and 118, respectively.

Other scorers for the GUHS girls included Tempest Kalin (131) and Quinlan Taylor (140).

Grant Union head golf coach Ron Lundbom highlighted weather conditions for the invite and said it was a welcome change to conditions earlier in the season.

“We had a great tournament today,” he said. “Good course conditions and good weather made the par 71 course a nice change from what we have been experiencing this season.”

Lundbom also praised the effort and play of his inexperienced team.

“I have only one returning player, and the others have less than one month of golf and less than that on green grass,” he said. “Needless to say I am so proud of the way the kids have been improving and loving golf.”