Boys golf: Naperville Central's Dunsire wins DuPage Valley Conference tournament
Tommy Dunsire is the new answer to a trivia question for longtime Naperville Central boys golf coach Barry Baldwin.
Who is the last Redhawk to win the DuPage Valley Conference tournament individual title?
Dunsire shot a 2-under-par 69 Tuesday at Bartlett Hills Golf Course to win medalist honors, ending Naperville Central's 10-year drought.
"I was playing really well. My short game was definitely there, other than a couple of holes," said Dunsire, who committed last week to compete next season for Northern Illinois University. "It was a lot of ups and downs, but obviously more ups. Missed a couple of short putts, but chipped in, so there was a lot of positive things that came out of today."
Dunsire said he generated a lot of momentum on the ninth hole with a 15-foot putt for birdie, leading to an eagle on the 10th.
"Right around nine through 11 really helped me out," he said.
Wheaton Warrenville South's Justin Seymour finished in second place with a 72. Neuqua Valley's Jack Vercautren and Michael Rhee each shot a 73, as did the Tigers' Jack Lillig.
The team championship came down to Vercautren's final putt. About 30 feet from the 18th hole, Vercautren decided to go for it in two putts. He surprised himself by making it in one, and that was the difference between the two teams.
"I'll take that any day," Vercautren said. "Hearing the roar in the background was pretty cool, but I had no idea it was for the win, pretty much."
"It was absolutely unreal," added Neuqua Valley coach Bart Carbonneau. " ... The last I checked with him he was 5 over with four to go and he finished 2 over. So he birdied three out of those last four holes. And that last one was a dramatic 30-footer off the fringe, and then we win by 1. Unreal."
Neuqua Valley, which won the regular-season team title, placed first Tuesday with a 301, with the Tigers in second at 302. WW South and Neuqua Valley will compete at next week's Class 3A Naperville Central regional at Naperbrook, Neuqua's home course also.
"Huge," Vercautren said of the team title. "Our coach really wanted it. We knew it was going to be a struggle with Wheaton Warrenville South because they're pretty good this year, and it was huge to keep momentum going for regionals and sectionals."
Lake Park placed third with a 312, followed by Naperville Central (315), Waubonsie Valley (316), Naperville North (317) and Metea Valley (317).
Waubonsie Valley's highlight came when senior Drew Gray hit a hole in one on the 18th hole.
"I'd been hitting my 9 iron good all day and it was 150 out, and I thought it was way over at first, so I was like, 'Sit down,'" Gray said. "A kid in my group called it, was like, 'Oh, that's in the hole.' It landed like 2 feet to the right and spun into the hole. I couldn't believe it. It was crazy."
It was Gray's first hole in one.