David Metz of Canyon del Oro escapes from a sand trap on the ninth hole at Oro Valley Country Club. Metz finished with a 2-over 38.

david sanders / arizona daily star

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The Canyon del Oro boys golf team squeaked out a win Tuesday against Ironwood Ridge and Sunnyside in a matchup that was plagued by poor putting.

Only one stroke separated first place from second in the match at Oro Valley Country Club, where the home team Dorados relied on strong driving, rather than putting, to finish with a team total of 152.

Ironwood Ridge shot a 153, and Sunnyside had a 217.

"This was a pretty exciting win," said senior Ryan Klump, who finished with a 1-over-par 37.

Sophomore Gentry Hicks also had a 37 but did so with more effective putting than his teammates.

"The short game killed everyone," Hicks said, "I made a lot of putts and got a lot of good chips. I just had to keep focused, play the game shot by shot, and try not to think about where I am (in the rankings)."

From Ironwood Ridge, Anthony Grijalva shot an even- par 36, keeping the Nighthawks in contention. Alex McMahon carded a 37, a surprisingly high score for the sophomore, who currently owns the course record with a 2-under par 34.

"It was disappointing to lose, but it is what it is," said McMahon, who three-putted the first hole, then showed some life with a birdie on the fifth.

The young squad at Sunnyside also was hurt by too many strokes on the green.

Ryan Rostenhausler gave Sunnyside its best score of the day with a 47.

"This is a nice win," said CDO coach John Farbarik. "With competition like Ironwood Ridge, this is always a good match win."

Ironwood Ridge and Canyon del Oro are even on the year, with one win each in the teams' matchups. In their earlier meeting this season, which also included Chandler Hamilton, I-Ridge finished 10 strokes better than CDO.