The Marshalltown junior shot a 1-over-par 72, six strokes better than runner-up Payton Drefke of Ankeny Centennial.

“Natalie’s working at the game as hard as anybody and it’s showing with the scores she’s putting up,” MHS head coach Lucas Johnson said. “Even on a day where she might not have had her best stuff, she still put together a pretty convincing victory.”

Henson was at two-under after four with three birdies and one bogey, but had bogeys on three of the last four holes before making the turn at 1-over-par.

“I definitely gave away a few strokes,” Henson said. “I didn’t play horrible but there were some strokes I gave away on the front nine for no reason.”

T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - BCLUW’s Lindsay Beeghly pitches into the eighth green during Thursday’s Linda Bloom Invitational at the American Legion Memorial Golf Course. Beeghly shot an 87 to place 15th individually while leading the Comets to a sixth-place finish.

Johnson added: “She was frustrated coming off No. 9 and we just had a short talk about staying patient, and knowing that there’s going to be a lot of birdie holes out there.”

Henson credited the help of MHS assistant coach Bill Benda with helping her shoot par golf on the back nine.

“I know the back nine really well,” Henson said. “And Bill definitely helped me out – a fresh nine was just something I really needed.

“My irons had been the worst part of my game recently but I got the distances down a lot better today, which helped because my putting, which had recently been helping me a lot, was really lacking today. … I got a lot of really close birdie attempts and just couldn’t get the putts to fall.”

The Bobcats shot 360 as a team, two strokes behind Nevada in third. Waukee Northwest (327) and Ames (335) finished in the top two spots.

Gaby Estabrook shot an 85 to finish 13th and earn a flag as a top-17 individual finisher. Harper Wilson added a 97 and freshman Emma Clawson smashed her previous 18-hole low with a 109 as the final counting score.

“Gaby managed her game on a day where she was struggling with her alignment,” Johnson said. “She did a good job on the back nine after a tough front nine and came home with the flag. … We’ve talked about that fourth counting score and we’re continuing to see it go down, really happy with Emma Clawson getting better – that’s what you expect with freshmen, it just takes time, so her staying patient and keeping a good attitude is huge for us.”

BCLUW finished sixth in the 13-team field with a 375. Lindsay Beeghly was 15th overall with an 87 to lead the Comets.

“I was struggling with chipping, but I was hitting the ball good,” Beeghly said. “Not too many three-putts. … I just try to stay positive throughout my round and not give up after a bad hole. I think we all did pretty good and they all seemed happy with how they played.”

With the Class 1A state meet scheduled for the Legion course, BCLUW head coach Stacy Simpson was happy to see the Comets shoot well in their first 18-hole meet of the season with hopes of returning to the state meet later this year.

Leah McEwen shot a 93, Sydney Anderson a 94, and Delaney Legg was 101 as the final counting score.

“We did struggle a bit on the greens, leaving things a little left, a little right,” Simpson said. “I think our girls got a little tired with the wind and walking the course for their first 18. But I think this score puts us in a good position. We just have to be consistent.”

Grundy Center was eighth as a team with a 397. Leah Larson just missed a top-17 flag in 19th with a 91. Avery Knutsen, Kahlynn Draper and Belle Ruth all had counting scores of 102.

Linda Bloom Invitational

American Legion Memorial Golf Course, par 72

Team Standings — 1. Waukee Northwest 327, 2. Ames 335, 3. Nevada 358, 4. Marshalltown 360, 5. Ankeny Centennial 374, 6. BCLUW 375, 7. Waukee 377, 8. Grundy Center 397, 9. Urbandale 401, 10. Newton 412, 11. Ottumwa 421, 12. Dallas Center-Grimes 425, 13. Mason City 438.

Individual (top 10) — 1. Natalie Henson, MHS, 72; 2. Payton Drefke, AC, 78; 3. Elizabeth Duncan, AMES, 79; 4. Emersen Motl, AMES, 80; 5. Hannah Pettitt, WNW, 80; 6. Amelia Habgood, WNW, 82; 7. Lola Minnick, WNW, 82; 8. Ansley Adams, WAU, 82; 9. Adalyn Wiig, WNW, 83; 10. Olivia Axmear, NEV, 84.

MARSHALLTOWN (360) — Henson 72, Gaby Estabrook 85, Harper Wilson 94, Emma Clawson 109, Kenedy Lammert 112, Hallie Kuhlers 117.

BCLUW (375) — Lindsay Beeghly 87, Leah McEwen 93, Sydney Anderson 94, Delaney Legg 101, Gracie Andrews 107, Marissa Schnathorst 109.

GRUNDY CENTER (397) — Leah Larson 91, Avery Knutsen 102, Kahlynn Draper 102, Belle Ruth 102, Holly Lubbert 106, Ashlyn Kuiper 107.