Even-par catapults C-G's Colbert to title
HARVARD -- Cary-Grove senior Brian Colbert plays his best golf when it matters most.
"It seems like in big tournaments Brian plays at a different level," said Trojans coach Kelly Muzzy. "I hope that continues down the stretch for him. I know he wants to get Downstate. That's his ultimate goal."
Assuming Colbert eases through regional play at Prairie Isle next week, he should have no problem advancing to state from the McHenry sectional meet, which will be contested at Oak Grove Golf Course in Harvard.
Thursday afternoon Colbert dueled undulating Oak Grove to a draw, shooting an even-par 71 to win the Fox Valley Conference individual title going away. Crystal Lake Central's Griffin Bauman posted a 76 to take second.
However, Colbert's strong showing wasn't enough to lift the Trojans to the team title. Cary-Grove's top four cards totaled 324 shots, placing them just behind Crystal Lake Central's 319.
Woodstock finished third (328) followed by McHenry (333), Prairie Ridge (339), Jacobs (343), Crystal Lake South (344) and Dundee-Crown (345).
"I hit the ball really well today," Colbert said. "I hit a lot of greens and hit a lot of fairways. I didn't hit a lot of putts, but I think I hit 16 or 17 greens so that's OK."
Colbert was 2-over par after a double bogey on the 15th hole when his playing group and Griffin's log-jammed at the 17th tee. After trading scores and learning he had a 1-shot lead on Griffin with two holes to play, Colbert finished birdie-birdie to win the FVC title.
Bauman double-bogeyed No. 17 and settled for par at 18 to finish 5 shots back. Woodstock's Caleb Remington took third (77).
Colbert placed his tee shot on the par-3, 134-yard 17th hole within feet of the cup to set up one birdie, and he sank a clutch, bending, 50-foot putt on 18 to salt away his first FVC title. Colbert took fourth last year.
Because FVC tournament points are weighed more heavily than regular-season points, the Tigers were able to leapfrog the Trojans and earn their second FVC title in three years despite losing one more dual match than Cary-Grove during the regular season.
CL Central earned this tournament victory. In addition to Griffin's 76, the next four Tigers carded scores of 79, 80 and 84, well below the cutoff for top-25, all-conference designation.
Cary-Grove's Ryan Kwech shot an 81 and teammate Dave Ptaskek posted the third-best score of 85. However, no other Trojan finished in the top 25, which cost the Trojans a shot at the title.
Jacobs freshman Scott Cahill was in the individual title hunt after he started hot in the cold morning rain. He finished with a 79 to take sixth place. Only six golfers broke 80 at Oak Grove, which featured pin placements near the edges of fast greens.
"I shot 37 on the front and made the turn at even," said Cahill, a 14 year old who shot a 67 at Randall Oaks this summer. "But I really fell apart on the back and shot a 42. I started off putting good, but I finished up awful."
Donnie Langland also made the all-FVC team for Jacobs with his score of 86.
Dundee-Crown's Jarrett Wollenberg (81) and Sam Johnson (82) made the top 25. Wollenberg finished eighth, but like most golfers, he rued the shots that got away.
"I played OK, but I had a rough time on the second to last hole, a Par 3," said Wollenberg, a sophomore from Sleepy Hollow. "I got on the green and four-putted, so that killed it."
Prairie Ridge was tied with Cary-Grove for the lead in team points entering the meet. Though four Wolves qualified for the all-FVC team -- Robinson Logue, Mike Ungari, Kyle Sherman and Tyler Benson - their scores of 84, 85, 85 and 85, respectively, were only good enough for fifth in the tournament, which dropped the Wolves to fifth in the final conference standings.
"It's a shot-maker's course," Prairie Ridge coach John Pellikan said of Oak Grove. "You really have to be accurate all the time, every single hole. You really don't have any room for error out there. It wears you down, and our guys got worn down out there. That's why Colbert's score is phenomenal."