Boys golf: Lake Forest claims NSC title

Mundelein's boys golf team edged Lake Forest in a recent dual meet at Steeple Chase Golf Course. Because of that victory, it set the Mustangs up for a shot at the conference title or at least a share of it.

The Scouts were up for the challenge on Tuesday, however. Lake Forest carded a 303 for the top spot ahead of Stevenson (309) and Mundelein (315) in the North Suburban Conference tournament at Willow Glen Golf Club in Great Lakes.

"Mundelein has a good team," Lake Forest coach James Matheson said. "We did pretty good coming out here today. The wind was ridiculous and the course was tough. This was probably our best tournament, but we haven't put it all together with four guys. Now is a good time to peak."

Lake Forest earned the overall conference title with 15 points. With its third-place finish, Mundelein placed second (14) while Stevenson ended up third (12).

"We knew that we had to finish second in order to win the conference," said Mundelein coach Todd Parola, whose team was undefeated in NSC duals. "We had a talk on the way over here. We knew that Stevenson, with the way things would play out with matchups and foursomes, would be our biggest test."

Lake Forest was led by Jason Folker, whose 1-over-par 72 on the 6,642-yard course earned him medalist honors.

Winds gusted at 30 mph.

"It was a tough day," said Folker, who had 1 birdie and 2 bogeys. "I guess the conditions made it so good. With the way the wind was, pars were a good score on every hole."

Lake Forest also counted matching 75s from Jed Thomas and Scott Frevert and an 80 from Michael Saeman.

Stevenson's Matt Shwael and James Dvorak each posted 76s. Mark Noonan added an 78 and Alex Kim had a 79.

"It was a pretty good round for me," Shwael said. "I think I missed just a couple of fairways. I was putting pretty well and I got up and down a few times. This was my best round in a tournament. I had a lot of confidence. I think I'm trusting my swing more and feeling comfortable on the course."

Ryan Magee shot a 77 to pace Mundelein. Zach Zentz (78), Brett Parola (79) and Tyler White (81) rounded out the Mustangs' scoring.

"You had to control your golf ball a lot (due to the wind)," Magee said. "You had to stay composed and really couldn't chase birdies out there. There were a few tough holes in the wind. You just had to manage your way around."

The wind and cool temperatures could be a preview of what golfers see in the state tournament. If so, count Magee as being up for the challenge.

"It shows you who the best golfer is and (teaches) you how strike a ball," Magee said. "Some golfers may crumble in these types of conditions, but the good ones find ways to come through."

Lake Zurich's Konnor Kininmonth tied for ninth place with Kim of Stevenson and Parola of Mundelein. The Bears finished fourth in the tournament and conference.

"It was rough out there," Kininmonth said. "I was making a lot of putts. I was trying to play (the shots) low with short swings."