Girls golf: Buffalo Grove’s Beerheide goes out on a limb to win invite on 3rd playoff hole
Courtney Beerheide thought she messed up. Again.
Playing hole No. 9 Thursday at Bonnie Dundee Golf Club, the Buffalo Grove senior thought her shot was destined to sail out of bounds, just as it had earlier in the round, only this time on the third playoff hole against Barrington junior Reese Wallace. Fall a stroke behind, and a potential individual title might rise out of reach.
The tree along the edge of the rough had other ideas — knocking down the errant shot and keeping the ball in play.
“I actually got really lucky on that shot,” Beerheide said. “I tried to reset my mind and focus on the shot that I had next. And I just really got right in my pre-shot routine and setup and executed the shot perfectly.”
Standing near the tree’s base, Beerheide chipped onto the green, setting herself up for a birdie putt to win her second Jodi Schoeck Invitational hosted by Barrington with a 68. In a battle between two of the best golfers in the state, the Western Kentucky commit didn’t hesitate to embrace her competition, wrapping Wallace in a hug.
“Courtney is one of my best golf friends, so it was just fun,” Wallace said. “We push each other the most. We train with each other during the wintertime.”
Coming off a fourth-place finish at state last year, Wallace placed second individually and was one of four Fillies inside the top 10 as Barrington won the team championship by a wide margin, finishing 16-over par and 36 strokes ahead of second-place Lincoln-Way Central. Buffalo Grove finished fifth at 57 over, followed by Libertyville with at 62 over and St. Charles East with a plus 78. Lake Zurich and Wheaton Academy rounded out the 10 teams.
Barrington’s Annie Carden finished third with a 73, while Teagan Carden tied for fourth with a 75. Teammate Olivia Yoon finished sixth with a 76.
“Just put together a great round of golf,” Barrington coach Tim Martin said of Annie Carden. “We’ve seen it. She’s been just really locked in. Her swing’s never looked better. With all her experience as a senior, this was her best invite she’s had for us.”
“Just focusing on one shot at a time, I think that was the most important part,” Carden said. “Just not worrying about anything else. I’m really proud of the team. I’m really proud of myself.”
Staying in the moment can be difficult for such a quick start to the season. St. Charles East held tryouts on Monday and Tuesday, followed by the first day of school on Wednesday. Coach Jarod Gutesha said unlike other sports, the golf season arrives fast, and despite any initial performance, improvement is always possible.
“Golf is a very easy sport to see progression,” he said. “(Our players) all set goals from last year to where they wanted to be.”
For Annie Carden, her potential flashed Thursday by draining a 16-foot putt. Wallace held plenty of hardware last year with a Class 2A individual title at regionals and sectionals. But both have ambitions beyond themselves. A fourth-place team finish at state last year wasn’t enough.
“I just really want our team to do well together,” Annie Carden said. “I have a lot of faith in them. Just go far together like we always do.”