Batavia just misses winning own invite

Fox Valley Golf Club attracts the finest boys teams from the western suburbs on the Saturday after Labor Day.

Lyons Township is arguably the toughest in the extended area after denying host Batavia on a fifth-card tiebreaker to capture the Bulldogs’ 30-team invitational in North Aurora.

It was the fourth consecutive tournament triumph for the West Suburban Conference Silver leaders in as many weeks to start the boys golf season.

Wheaton Warrenville South, behind runner-up Tee-K Kelly, defeated Oak Park-River Forest on a fifth card for third place; Naperville North was fifth behind reigning all-stater Raymond Knoll.

Benet was sixth, followed by Marmion and its inspirational leader Matt Fazio, Hinsdale Central, St. Charles North and Moline.

St. Charles East was 13th in the packed field, while Kaneland, Aurora Christian and West Aurora rounded out the local teams.

“Every person on our team can post a score,” said Lyons senior Kevin Carlson, whose 6-over par 78 was the deciding factor in the Lions’ turning back Batavia on the fifth card after each team finished regulation with 302 totals. “It’s nice to know the team can back you up if you don’t have a good round.”

Batavia, seeking the first championship of its invitational in the nine-year tenure of coach Tim DeBruycker, had four players break 80 to post its collective 14-over total.

Matt Milauskas was on fire after playing his first nine holes in the shotgun start.

Fashioning three birdies to go along with a half-dozen pars to start his outward nine, Milauskas eventually cooled off to fire one of three level-par rounds of 72.

Oak Park-River Forest senior Dan Wojtak was declared the tournament champion in his scorecard playoff against Kelly and Milauskas.

“(Playing at home) was a big factor,” Milauskas said. “I knew the greens that would check and how they would break. I hit my tee shots well today.”

Double-bogeys on each nine canceled out the 4 birdies Milauskas authored to leave him at even par for the day.

Batavia, which fielded two teams, was further aided by a 75 from Nathan Podraza and Peter Karkos’ 76.

Emilio Tenuta completed the Bulldogs’ card with a 79, and Billy Zwick had an 80 for their tiebreaking number.

“I wouldn’t have thought that 302 would have finished second,” said DeBruycker on the history of the tournament in which many teams have been under par. “We have not been playing well lately.”

Fazio, the lone returning Class 3A state qualifier, was simply happy to be back on the course after missing the start of the season recuperating from twin cancer surgeries.

“I’m cancer free,” Fazio said of his ordeal with testicular cancer. “I am in remission. The swing and my touch is still shaky. It was a good day. It’s good to see Zach (Woytych) and Marshall (Kanute) playing well.”

Fazio had a 78 in his second tournament back; Woytych had a 35 on his inward-nine holes to produce a fifth-place 73.

St. Charles East Kyle Jacobs also fired a 1-over par round to lead the Saints.

John Carroll and Dan Shepherd had matching 75s to lead St. Charles North past their city rivals for ninth place.

“I think we played OK,” St. Charles North coach Rob Prentiss said. “I think we’re still a work in progress. If you look at the (team) standings, we were in ninth place. But it’s a little misleading because we were only 8 shots out of first place.”

“For us to finish within 11 shots of winning was a step forward for us,” St. Charles East coach John Stock said. “We had 11 double-bogeys or worse as a team today; that’s too many.”

Matt Yonkovich had a 78 to lead Kaneland; Michael Free (79) and Jackson Bailey performed similar tasks for Aurora Christian and West Aurora.

Kelly found himself in an entirely different location after his inclusion at a national invitational last weekend at the famed TPC Sawgrass outside Jacksonville, Fla.

Kelly offset 4 bogeys with an equal number of birdies over a five-hole stretch concluding his round to wrap up a hectic week in which he committed to Ohio State.

“I couldn’t be happier (with my collegiate decision),” the two-time reigning state qualifier said of his picking Ohio State over Illinois and Iowa. “It was kind of difficult (returning to high school golf after Sawgrass). I kind of took a different mental approach. We played the TPC Sawgrass at like 7,400 yards and we played this at 5,400. It almost pretty psychs you out.”

With Kelly anchoring WW South with his level-par effort, the Tigers’ third-place team showing was solidified by Nick Popejoy, Colin McCaffrey and Will Kelly all firing in the 70s.

“Great day for the Tigers,” WW South coach Jimmy Selleck said. “We knew we have the potential. We have been consistent with our approach.”

Knoll, fifth in state last fall, and Mike Doherty led DuPage Valley Conference leaders Naperville North with matching 75s.

“We didn’t light it up,” Naperville North coach Ryan Hantak said one week after the Huskies captured the Buffalo Grove tournament with an under-par total. “Consistently solid, but not great.”

Naperville resident Conor Ryan was once again the standout player for Benet, which needed a tiebreaker to turn back West Chicago resident Fazio and his Marmion teammates for sixth place.

Waubonsie Valley finished a disappointing 12th after neither senior leader, Alec Meyer nor Alex Koulos, had their score count for the Warriors.

“It was a struggle out there,” said Koulos.

The Warriors, however, currently are undefeated in Upstate Eight Conference Valley dual action.

Glenbard South has its sights on another Class 2A state appearance.

The Raiders were led by Will Lear on Saturday one week after Adam Turner captured the Fenton Invitational with a level-par 70.