Lawrence High junior Cameron Hartford sinks a long putt. Hartford tied Mark Mercer for team-low score - 88 - on Wednesday at Alvamar Golf Course.

Free State high's Sean Ragan follows through on a 30-foot putt. Ragan shot a 94 at the Lawrence Invitational on Wednesday at Alvamar Golf Course.

On the 18th hole, Free State’s Nick Burkart displayed a stern expression before sinking the 30-foot putt. Having capped his performance at Alvamar Golf Course’s Lawrence Invitational in style, the senior smiled after fishing the ball out of the hole.

“It’s a good one to end on,” he said.

Relying on a strong irons games, Burkart shot a 76 during Wednesday’s Invitational, which also counted as the second half of the Sunflower League tournament. (Teams played the first 18 holes earlier in the season at Prairie Highlands in Olathe).

Burkart, a senior, finished 10th in the league standings.

“It was a pretty good day,” Burkart said. “I played consistent.”

As a team, Free State finished 11th with 329 strokes.

Nick Burkart’s cousin, Allen Burkart, posted an 82 despite battling shoulder tendinits, which forced him to withdraw from a tournament last week. Rounding out the team, Austin Wright shot an 84, Jake Woodard an 87, Nick Vetter an 88 and Sean Ragan a 94.

“I was pretty happy,” Free State coach Matt Gudenkauf said.

The Firebirds performed well despite playing without their No. 2 player, Daniel Selk, who missed the tournament because of an Advanced Placement test.

Lawrence High, the host school, placed 21st with 363 strokes, but that total represented a season-low for the team. It also allowed the Lions to push past Leavenworth High, leaving the Pioneers in last place in the Sunflower League.

Junior Cameron Hartford and senior Mark Mercer posted the top LHS rounds: 88.

“I always want to beat him,” Hartford said. “But tying’s OK.”

Hartford, whose all-time best mark is a 68, set a goal of shooting under 90 during the Invite. The junior praised his putting but said he needed to drive to the fairway more frequently.

Jon Cohen recorded a 93, Nick Hanna a 94, Chance Riley a 95 and Bobby Davis a 108. The LHS team enjoyed the slight benefit of playing at Alvamar, the Lions’ practice course.

“It probably helped in club selection on a few holes,” Hartford said. “That’s about it.”

All of the participants faced the disadvantage, though, of playing through rain, which fell during most of the event.

“That’s why the greens were so slow,” Burkart said. “A lot of time the ball was covered in mud.”

Blue Valley West scored a 289 to win the sodden tournament, and West’s Kyle Smell was medalist.

Of the city schools, the Firebirds proved superior, but the Lions can take pleasure with their best showing of the season.

“Hopefully we’re peaking at the right time,” LHS coach Dirk Wedd said. “We’ve got a long ways to go, but you never know.”