MOWEAQUA - Normally, a round at Moweaqua Golf Course, with it's flat expanses and sparse trees, has the best high school golfers in the area licking their chops with a chance at red numbers.

Nature is the course's best defense, and the defense was stout on Tuesday with a steady, strong breeze.

So the players in the Okaw Valley Championship milled around the scoreboard outside the clubhouse, offering biting, sarcastic (and often hilarious) self-critiques of their games after slogging through 18 holes.

Perhaps the only person who was happy with his score was Monticello's Clint Brubaker, who shot 76 and was the only player to break 80.

It helped the Sages tie for the lead in the team portion with St. Teresa at 333, though the Bulldogs were awarded the title thanks to a low fifth score.

Tuesday wasn't the time for any Tin Cup-esque risks, and Brubaker wasn't about to take any.

"I was just playing safe. You've just go to play to the opposite side of the wind … play into it, play the ball down, take an extra club if you're into it," Brubaker said. "I was just warming up, I figured (the wind) out. Once you got a couple holes in, I knew where to aim."

St. Teresa's Michael Webb, Tuscola's Kurtis Kinyoun and Maroa-Forsyth's all tied for second by shooting 80.

"This course is fairly easy, but that wind is definitely tearing you up out there. You just had poor shots. The wind would pick up the ball and throw it back at you. But I played fairly good," Kinyoun said. "I've been struggling lately. I just started putting it back together last week. This was a big turnaround for me, and I like playing with the weather like it was today, especially with sectionals being at Ironhorse. It's going to be 10 times windier there."

Webb, meanwhile, was the biggest reason why the Bulldogs were able to forge a tie that eventually led them to the conference title.

"We squeaked by," Webb said, "and it gives us goals to reach."

The blustery conditions led to some higher scores, but it also could be a blessing in disguise.

"The kids aren't happy with the scores, but that's a good thing. It's the first day we've really had fall golf, so I think our kids did fine. With five of six scores in the 80s, you've got to be happy with the way the kids adjusted," St. Teresa coach Tom Noonan said.

Monticello coach John Harshbarger was equally pleased.

"It's kind of where we're at. We need to improve on that, because our regional (in Gibson City) is pretty tough," Harshbarger said. "Maroa (and) St. Teresa (are in it), and (Champaign) St. Thomas More is one of best teams in the state.

"(We) battled all day, and it's a good thing to get used to."

St. Teresa's Gabbi Schuerman won the girls conference title with a round of 87. But she, like almost everyone else, was far from pleased.

"It's the worst I've done since freshman year. I can't putt … and the wind got me real bad," Schuerman said. "I've got to work on my putting."

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