The Austin boys golf team dealt with high winds, cold temperatures and even a little bit of sleet as they lost to Red Wing 340-368 at Austin Country Club Monday.

Austin’s James Snee shot an 88 and Ethan Morey shot an 87 and both have them had trouble closing out their day as a sleet came down as they finished up the 18th hole.

“When the sleet came down, it was impossible to putt on the greens because your ball would accumulate everything,” Snee said. “You just had to grind it out. It was probably one of the toughest rounds I’ve played as far as conditions go. You have to get used to it. You never know what weather you’re going to get in Minnesota.”

Morey said the wind was blowing the ball all over on the front nine, but it was something the players had to adjust to. Although the conditions were far from ideal, Morey was glad to get another day on the course to work on his game.

“I’ve kind of struggled in the first couple of rounds, but it’ll get better,” he said. “Golf is a muscle memory sport, so it’s really important to get out and play every day if possible.”

Austin head coach Matt Raso said Snee and Morey both improved by about seven strokes on the back nine Monday and he liked what his top two players gave him. Raso said both Snee and Morey should be able to improve their scores as the season goes on.

“They battled [today] and that’s all I can ask them to do,” Raso said.

Raso was hoping the Packers would get off to a better start this season and he’d like to see the team bring its score down to the 350 range or lower.

“I think we’ve been outside enough and I was hoping that would kind of kickstart us early in the year,” Raso said. “Obviously the conditions aren’t good, but the bottom line is both teams are playing in them. There’s always room for improvement.”

Austin scores: Ethan Morey, 87; James Snee, 88; Jordan Allen, 96; Ryan Kempen, 97; Noah Bawek, 98; Matt Neumann, 101