Boys golf: Tight finish in tough conditions at NSC tourney
The elements were a major player in the North Suburban Conference boys golf tournament on Tuesday afternoon, as persistent rain and blustery winds caused havoc for most of the event at Willow Glen Golf Club in Great Lakes.
When the final putt dropped in the shotgun format, four teams finished within 1 shot of one another.
Lake Forest was the conference champion over Stevenson, claiming the victory after both teams carded 310. The Scouts' fifth score was 1 stroke better, 82-83.
"It's tough, and everybody tried," Stevenson coach John Rueth said. "It always comes down to one shot - after 300-and-some shots, it always comes down to one. So, you had four teams that played well. It was an awesome tournament, especially under these scoring conditions, which were tough."
Mundelein and Libertyville were a shot behind at 311. The Mustangs secured the third spot over Libertyville an 82-86 edge on the fifth score.
"I thought the scores were pretty good under these conditions," Mundelein coach Todd Parola said. "I thought the kids handled it pretty well. Especially the way it started, I thought some kids would fall apart and not recover. They all did a pretty good job. There's a lot of what-ifs going through our minds right now. What if one stroke here, or one stroke there?"
Lake Forest won the final NSC tournament with the current 12 schools as participants, and the Scouts tied with Stevenson and Mundelein for the dual-meet season in the Lake Division. Vernon Hills won the Prairie Division title.
"Anytime you win is great," said Lake Forest coach James Matheson, who saw Vernon Hills and Mundelein take titles in the two previous seasons. "We've had a pretty good run of success the last few weeks. We're just trying to keep it going and stay hot at the right time of the year. The weather brings everybody together."
Lake Forest's Scott Frevert was the top medalist. He won a one-hole playoff over Ryan Magee of Mundelein, conduct on the par 4, 18th hole that plays 434 yards. Frevert shot par, and Magee had a double-bogey. Both golfers shot 2-over 73s on the par 71, 6,642-yard course.
"The conditions were tough out there," Frevert said. "It was windy and rained for the first few holes. I did have a good start going - birdie, birdie. Over the last few I was 3-over and hung in there and putted well."
Mitch Kenston led Libertyville with a third-place finish at 75.
"It was a cold, windy and wet round," said Kenston, who used gloves. "I was able to shoot pars and not have any big numbers. I was able to make a birdie here and there. Everyone was going through the tough weather - you have to keep your head on straight. I was hitting the ball good and keeping the shots simple."
Stevenson was led by Karamen Sandhu with a 76.
"It was hard to play out there," Sandhu said. "Throughout the round, I was getting used to it. I adjusted to it pretty well and changed my game plan a little bit. Instead of attacking and trying to make birdies, I was trying to make pars and be more safe."
Warren finished fifth with a 321. Trevor Britton led the Blue Devils with a 78.
Vernon Hills carded a team score of 331 good for 6th place in the 12-team field. Justin Park was the Cougars' team leader with an 80.
The state series begins next Tuesday with regionals for the teams in Class 2A and 3A.