Kochevar's deft short game sparks soph's sizzling round

Brooke Kochevar was only inches from a flawless round Monday afternoon at Village Links in Glen Ellyn.

The Glenbard West sophomore put on a dazzling short-game display, and her 1-over-par 37 led the Hilltoppers past Addison Trail, 182-257, in a West Suburban Conference girls golf dual match.

The Hilltoppers (8-4, 3-3 in the league, which does not have divisions for girls golf) are in its second year of their program - and the returning Class AA state qualifier was at the top of her game.

On the opening hole, Kochevar had her 25-foot birdie chip stop an inch shy of the cup, but the southpaw was in the red after taming the par-5 second with a 10-foot birdie putt.

After finding a greenside bunker on the par-4 third, Kochevar faced what is generally considered the toughest shot in golf-a long bunker shot.

But Kochevar played the 80 foot explosion shot like a seasoned pro, stopping the ball on a dime a mere 18 inches from the cup.

"I didn't know what to do with that (shot)," Kochevar said. "I just hit and it ended up (close)."

Kochevar would make routine pars only at the two par-3s, and the first short hole was a simple conversion after landing her tee shot 15 feet to the left.

On the No. 1-handicapped hole, the demanding 377-yard par-4 fifth, Kochevar was long on her second shot.

With a front pin location, Kochevar once again negotiated the 30-yard distance with aplomb, leaving herself a 3-footer for par.

Defying conventional wisdom, which advocates playing such shots with a straight iron in bump-and-run fashion, Kochevar pitched the ball high with her greenside shot, taking the slope out of play.

"I feel like I can control it better using a higher-lofted club," Kochevar said.

One under after five holes, Kochevar had back-to-back miscues, with par efforts at six and seven sliding by on the low side and lipping out, respectively.

But Kochevar had a 2-putt par on eight, and after missing her only fairway of the afternoon on the closing hole-literally by an inch - the sophomore had yet another high-arching pitch to save par and earn medalist honors for the ninth time this fall.

"It's a game of scoring," said Glenbard West coach Sarah Jung. "All great golfers have great short games. (Kochevar) can really score around the greens, and that's when it counts-especially in high school."

Meredith Berk (46), Julia Klink (47) and Ruth Mulvihill (52) backed up the Kochevar gem for the Hilltoppers.

"It's not like they're relaying on us," Klink said of the expectations surrounding herself and senior classmate Mulvihill.

Maria Wojtas and Angelika Glogowski led Addison Trail, which has yet to win this fall, with 62s.

Alina Montemayor and Carly Kwasniewski also contributed for the Blazers.

"(Kochevar) is a very good player for the age that she is at," said Wojtas, the Blazers' No. 1 player.