Boys golf: Glenbard East's Guthrie goes three deep to win UEC tournament playoff

The tension mounted through the first playoff hole. And then the second. And then the third.

Finally, Glenbard East sophomore Matt Guthrie overcame his emotions and Glenbard South junior Trevor Gelino to win the Upstate Eight Conference boys golf tournament Wednesday at St. Andrews Golf Course in West Chicago.

"Yeah, the first tee shot was pretty nerve-wracking," said Guthrie, who shot a 77 in regulation to force a playoff opposite Gelino. "Lots of emotions. I would say the last par, I thought the ball was going to go in the water but it didn't. It was just lucky to get a break there. Then a nice little shot up there (to the green), 2 feet, and made the putt for the birdie."

Experience helped Guthrie in the playoff.

"I think going through sectionals last year as a freshman, his mental toughness has improved tremendously since then," Rams coach Chris Wienke said. "And we do a lot of putting match play stuff at our practices, and I told him, we were walking up the last one, I told him this was just like playing at practice. You've got to picture it in your head."

Now Guthrie can picture himself as a conference champion.

"It's nice to have under your belt," he said.

Gelino didn't make it easy for Guthrie, evidence of the great improvement he's made in the two years since he picked up the game.

"I felt like I was on the (PGA) Tour right there. I was making some of those putts and you've got everyone clapping for you, cheering. My heart was just pounding so hard," Gelino said, hitting his right fist to his chest and with a broad smile across his face.

"It was just the greatest thing I've ever done. That was just great. I loved it so much."

That he did so well didn't surprise his coach.

"I was confident he was going to do well," Raiders coach Phil Yudys said. "He's very even-keel. How he performed in the playoff, making some of those clutch putts, I was really proud of him. Ran into a birdie on the third playoff hole."

The Raiders, who went undefeated through the regular season, won the tournament with a 326 and clinched the season championship. Glenbard East placed second with a 339. South Elgin (351), Bartlett (362) and West Chicago (377) rounded out the top five.

"The kids did great all year," Yudys said. "They put in a lot of hard work throughout the year and this is what they work hard for all year. I was really proud of the boys how they played through those tough (rainy and cool) conditions today."

Gelino wasn't the only Raider to play well. Jack Michelon placed third behind Gelino and Michael Nathe was fourth. Nick Gelino took sixth and Jacob Cyrus seventh.

"Glenbard South is top to bottom a strong team," South Elgin coach Gordon Brown said. "Even their JV. You saw it. They're tough to beat."

South Elgin sophomore Nick Zaimans placed fifth, shooting an 83, and senior Dilan Patel was 10th.

"We were hoping for second place, but it was tight," Brown said. "It was close. The weather conditions, course conditions played into that. Having two guys in the top 10 was certainly great. One was a sophomore, so the future looks bright."