Boys golf: Lim helps Barrington nab third place downstate
The high school golf career of Barrington senior Tim Lim has been nothing short of spectacular, especially in the pressure-packed atmosphere of the state finals tournament.
As a sophomore in 2014, Lim finished sixth in the individual race at the Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington, and last year he posted a seventh-place finish.
Saturday at the Den, Lim capped another stellar performance as his two-day total of 150 led him to ninth place overall and propelled his team to the third-place team trophy.
As far as Broncos coach Mike Kallenbach can tell, it's the first time a Barrington golfer has finished in the top 10 in state for three consecutive years.
"What a great feat," said Kallenbach of Lim's stellar state appearances. "I think this course just suits his eye. Tim never gives up, and he knows this course so well."
Hinsdale Central won the team title at Fox Creek with a 593, while New Trier (618) was 2nd and the Broncos tied with Glenbrook South, both with scores of 620.
Barrington was awarded third place on a fifth-score tiebreaker.
It was a great day for local individual performances as well, as the 70-78-148 from Prospect senior Nick Tenuta saw him finish tied for third in the individual medalist race, which was won by Brendan O'Reilly of Hinsdale Central.
In the Class 2A championship at Weibring Golf Club in Normal, St. Viator sophomore Timmy Crawford carded a 37 Saturday to go along with his 77 Friday, which was good enough for seventh overall.
For the medal-winning Broncos, seniors Ryan Loutos and Kyle Kulsakdinun, playing in the 5 and 6 lineup positions, gave Barrington a big lift over the top.
Loutos' two-day total of 163 was just what Barrington was looking for.
"This is so cool," said Loutos of the Broncos hardware-winning day. "Sometimes scores count and they don't count, if you know what I mean - but today (the fifth score) really mattered."
The golfers competing at the Den on Saturday faced much different conditions than they did Friday, as a howling wind crept in to Bloomington and pushed up the scores.
That didn't seem to bother Broncos senior Tom Calbi, who shot a 1-over 73 to give his team a big boost. Calbi's round was highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 10th.
"The tenth is a short hole," said Calbi, "and lot of guys just go up and rip the driver, but I was hitting my drives straight all day so I hit a 2-iron off the tee.
"My ball actually rolled onto the fringe of the rough, but I was able to get a 5-iron within 15 feet and I drained the putt. That was a big momentum-booster."
Calbi carded a 35 on the back 9, and when all was said and done, he said it started to sink in that this was his final high school tourney.
"I've played with most of these guys (his Broncos teammates) for four years and with Tim for even longer," he said, "so this is kind of bittersweet."
"These guys go through so much at this tournament," said Kallenbach. "They have four or five hours of mental anguish out there due to the pressure, so when it's all over, they're able to just kick back and get a smile on their face."
Jack Markham (two-day score of 160) and Sean Dolan (162), both seniors, made their scores count, as did of course Lim, who was able to reflect after the meet on his record-setting day.
"I can hardly believe it's over," said Lim, who will be attending and playing golf at Drake University next fall. "I am so proud of this team.
"It's kind of sad that we're all done, but life goes on. It's amazing what we've accomplished over the last four years, and I'm so happy with the way we played today."