Waubonsee ends Lake County's Skyway run

It took one incredible performance for the College of Lake County golf team to finally not finish first at a Skyway Conference meet.

And even with that, the Lancers still finished second by one stroke.

The Lancers have Waubonsee's Kevin Phillips to thank for breaking their streak. Phillips shot a school-record 4-under-par 68 at Waters Edge Golf Course in Worth on Wednesday. Phillips' score was 10 strokes better than anyone from CLC, which helped Waubonsee (314) hold off the Lancers (315) in the eight-team meet.

CLC went undefeated last season and won the first conference meet of the season Sept. 5.

"We were striking the ball well," first-year coach Ron Klein said. "I was surprised we didn't win."

The Lancers' Alex Pekelsna led the way with 78. CLC's Kevin Shimer (Deerfield), Jonathan Duffie (Waukegan) and Troy Beyer (Grayslake Central) shot matching 78s.

Beyer is probably the player who has improved the most since the start of the season.

"He's coming on very strong," Klein said. "He doesn't get himself in much trouble. He has a good demeanor on the course and a well-round game. That will take him a long way."

Beyer really had it going before playing the last four holes in 5-over-par.

"I hit almost every green all day," Beyer said. "I got (too) excited about my score."

Shimer has consistently played the No. 1 position for the Lancers.

"He hits the ball the farthest that I've seen," Beyer said.

CLC returns to action Monday for another conference meet at Glenview Golf Course.

The Lancers are coming off the best season in program history. For the first time, CLC qualified for the NJCAA Tournament as a team. Over the summer, Larry Leon left CLC to become the head coach at Robert Morris.

Athletics Director Chad Good hired Klein shortly before the start of the season. Klein is the lead instructor for the Village of Libertyville golf programs. Prior to that, he was the head pro at Bittersweet Golf Club in Gurnee.

"I've always wanted to coach a team," Klein said.

When it comes to the skill of the players, Klein has nothing to complain about.

"They're playing better than I expected," he said. "It's a well-rounded team."