Niemiec fires career-best 73
Jenny Niemiec and the St. Charles East girls golf team were trying to steer clear of the Ashley Armstrong-inspired avalanche of Homewood-Flossmoor.
On a day the two-time state champions established a new team scoring record, the Saints were a mere asterisk to the Vikings' assault on the records books at the venerable Naperville North Invitational at Naperbrook Golf Course in Plainfield on Saturday morning and afternoon.
Armstrong hit all 18 greens in regulation, twice recording back-to-back birdies to flavor her tournament-record 5-under-par 67. Lauren Dawson (73), Michelle Meyer (74) and Ryann Gilley (74) combined to shoot 5-over, leaving the Vikings at level-par 288 for a team score while relegating many of the opposing coaches to search for the proper adjective to describe their virtually unheard-of achievement.
Niemiec, who played in the lead group with the Notre Dame-committed Armstrong, was muttering to herself after a 4-over-par front nine.
"It was a bad 40," the Saints' two-time Class AA state qualifier said before starting her back nine.
But what an inward nine it turned out to be for Niemiec. The senior was virtually flawless on the back nine, missing only one green by mere feet in recording the round of her life. Niemiec birdied a third of the holes on the back nine, making a 12-footer at the closing par-5 18th, and sandwiched by a half-dozen routine pars resulted in a sizzling 33 - the same score Armstrong recorded - for a career-best 73.
"Thirty-three is pretty sweet," Niemiec said. "I was trying to keep up with (Armstrong). She was unbelievable. She didn't have that many putts drop. (Her score) should have been, like, a 62."
"I was just thinking about my next shot," said Armstrong, who had composite nines of 34 and 33. "I just trusted what I had left (on my approach yardages)."
Niemiec was 1-under on her first five holes on the backside, and her pitching-wedge tee shot at No. 15 landed within two feet. Niemiec missed the golden opportunity, but on No. 16 the golfing gods repaid the debt when her 22-footer was center cut.
"I didn't really expect to make it," Niemiec said. "I've never done that well before."
Nicole Rae authored 3-over rounds of 39 on each side, converting consecutive birdies on her inward nine, to place seventh overall in the 16-team tournament with a 78.
Rebecca Norris' birdie at the home hole also resulted in a personal-best 79, and the Saints had a new program bench mark when junior Kate Ven Horst had an 85 for a 315 team total.
"Conditions were ripe for scoring today, and people took advantage of it," said St. Charles East coach Rod Osborne. "Two-eighty-eight is phenomenal. I've never seen a team shoot level par before."
The previous program record was set by the Saints' 1991 sectional-championship team. Wheaton Warrenville South (331) denied Hinsdale Central (333) for third place; Batavia did likewise to St. Charles North, 351-352, for fourth. Marin Beagley was sixth with a 78 to lead the North Stars, while Tara Cullerton had an 81 to pace the Bulldogs.
"It could have been better, but not horrible," said Cullerton, who ended her day with an 85-yard approach for a tap-in birdie. "I could have made more putts."