Meadows scrambles to win postseason tuneup

Sometimes, it's good to take a breather.

Saturday's golf tournament at Red Trail Golf Course, hosted by Crystal Lake South, provided just that for seven teams before the added stress of the postseason begins.

The tournament is played in scramble format. Each team has two golfers per group and the best ball hit each time is played. The format also means that all six players' scores count toward the total.

Rolling Meadows (197) took top honors, followed by Marian Central (204), Crystal Lake South (209), Jacobs (210), Dundee-Crown (211), Huntley (221) and Streamwood (230).

The uniqueness of the tournament, which falls right before Tuesday's regionals begin, does not allow for much strategic planning. This is one of the few scrambles teams have played in the past few seasons.

"The last couple of years, the kids decide who they play with," Chargers' coach Bob Sweeney said. "You need to be confident with your partner. The kids find someone who blends in really well with their game."

Rolling Meadows's No. 1 group of Joe Ingolia and Chris Olson tied with their No. 3 group of Dan Alsup and Kevin Markowski with a tournament best 65.

Putting was the lone area where Ingolia and Olson struggled on Saturday. But, the focus wasn't on sinking putts alone.

"It's a fun atmosphere," Olson said.

"It's easy to laugh it off when you have someone else with you," Ingolia said. "When you hit a bad shot, you don't have to worry about it. You have someone else to back you up."

New Trier invite: Mike Larson shot 76 to finish 10th and lead Hersey to a fourth-place finish in the Bruce Slovitt Trevian Invitational.

Jimmy Morrow and Chris James shot 79 and Shaun Levine had an 80 for Hersey (314). New Trier rolled to the title (296) as medalist Wilson Bowen shot 72.

Lake Forest and Glenbrook North finished 3 shots ahead of Hersey.