Brouch helps Marmion past Batavia

Marmion junior golfer David Brouch confided in senior captain Luke Kolquist he had a hunch against Batavia on Wednesday afternoon.

"He told me that he likes the back nine better (at Fox Valley Country Club)," said Kolquist.

With the front nine at the North Aurora layout tied up with a league, Brouch proved true to his word, firing a 2-over-par 38 to not only snare medalist honors but also lead the Cadets to a 158-164 nonconference victory over the Bulldogs.

"I hit the ball pretty solid," said Brouch, the Cadets' fourth-ranked player, who used a 2-putt birdie on the par-5 17th to highlight his round. "I had a couple of good up and downs that really saved the round."

Conversely, it was a beguiling day for Kolquist, the Geneva resident who has been a mainstay on the Marmion varsity for the last three years.

Kolquist birdied his first hole, only to see a 5-iron on the reachable par-5 12th sail over the green and out of bounds.

The senior recovered to save bogey -- his second in a row -- and negated the back-to-back miscues with an 18-footer on 14 to get back to level par.

Kolquist then suffered a string of bogeys over his next three holes before closing with a par on the last to salvage a 39.

With playing companion Bryce Emory coming in with 41, the Cadets' collective score was completed when Geneva resident Kyle Fisher posted a 40.

"It was kind of a strange day," said Kolquist. "It's always interesting against Batavia. (The course) was playing a lot tougher than usual; the wind was blowing and swirling. We got the win -- that's all that counts."

The Cadets, who edged Batavia for the team crown at Larkin last Friday, improved to 1-0 in dual-meet action; the Bulldogs fell to 0-1.

Shawn Steurer led Batavia, and the junior could certainly relate to the afternoon Kolquist experienced.

The right-hander birdied both par-5s and had to overcome a near-disastrous 4-putt to lead the Bulldogs with a 39.

Tim Schofield and Kyle Ewert had 41s for Batavia, and Tim Swanson posted a 43 for the final counting score.

"I'm a little surprised the scores were that high," said Batavia coach Tim DeBruycker. "I think a little bit of it was the kids were pressing."