Boys golf: Geneva's hot start continues; Jacobs takes 2nd

The five members from Geneva who teed off at the Elgin Country Club on Tuesday afternoon all had the distinction of playing in the Class 3A boys golf state finals last October in Bloomington.

The Vikings remained blemish-free this season for a reason.

With sophomore standouts Tyler Isenhart and Jack McDonald leading the way at the South Elgin Invite, Geneva cruised to its fourth tournament win of the fall with a 306.

Defending champion Jacobs, which also had the runner-up in Garrett Tighe, denied Batavia by a shot, 320-321, to earn second place.

Marmion, Bartlett, Burlington Central, Hampshire, Dundee-Crown, West Aurora and South Elgin rounded out the top 10 of the 18-team field.

Isenhart was a birdie machine on his opening nine in claiming the medalist honors with a 2-under 70 in Elgin.

"I started off pretty (well)," Isenhart said. "I was four under through nine or 10. I was hitting some good approach shots. I was making a few good putts, 10- and 15-footers (for birdie)."

McDonald was fifth overall with his 77.

"We knew we could do well this year," McDonald said. "We have performed well at the start. I think we're getting used to playing really good golf."

It was the highest team score the Vikings have recorded all year.

Seniors Andrew Abel (78) and Spencer Monroe (81) combined for a 159 to complete the Vikings' championship total.

"It helps when we started the year off with a lot of scores in the low 290s," Geneva coach Eric Hatczel said. "I know they're a little upset that they are over the 300 barrier, but this is a tough course. On a tough course, they put it together and shot a good score."

The Elgin Country Club features rolling fairways and severely undulating greens as its main defense.

Ten players in the field of 90 managed to break 80.

Tighe was also in the red after overcoming his lone hiccup.

"I doubled the first (his fourth hole) but had 3 birdies coming in," said Tighe, who finished with a 71. "My drives started going straighter, and some putts fell in. I putted really well."

Jacobs' Riley Coakley augmented Tighe with a solid 76, good for fourth place.

Nick Huggins is also a state veteran for Marmion.

Despite three 3-putt bogeys, Huggins was masterful around the greens in fashioning a third-place 73.

Huggins was 8-for-9 in scrambling for pars around the greens.

"It was definitely a tough course out there," Huggins said. "It was nice to have my chipping. Ball-striking was good but nothing spectacular. My chipping has been saving me."

Batavia was led by Robert Carr as the senior toured the club for his first time to the tune of a 77.

"I was hitting it pretty straight today, knew where (my ball) was going," Carr said. "Chipping and putting helped."

Ryan Vanderway is yet another bright underclassman on the local scene. The West Aurora sophomore was ninth with his 79.

"I played pretty well," Vanderway said. "It was just those two holes: I had back-to-back double bogeys on (Nos.) 17 and 18."

Mark Spitzer (Hampshire) and Sam Glore (Batavia) snared the final top-10 individual awards with respective rounds of 78 and 79.