Boys golf: Geneva tames Bartlett Hills, wins Elgin invite

A total team effort carried Geneva's boys golf team to victory at the Elgin invitational Monday.

With four scores in the 70s, including a 73 by medalist Joe Adams, the Vikings finished 16 strokes ahead of second-place Neuqua Valley at the 10-team event on a picture-perfect afternoon at Bartlett Hills.

Perhaps the sunny, nearly windless conditions contributed to 12 individual scores of 80 or below, including 5 by the Vikings.

Carter Williams was right behind Adams with a 74, and Cal McKittrick and Zach Padgett each shot 78s for the Vikings.

Neuqua, led by Matt Newman's 74, finished a solid second. Lake Park, at 332, edged South Elgin for third.

Adams dropped a 20-foot birdie putt on his penultimate hole.

"The fairways were clicking," he said. "I was getting everything in the fairways and then I was just dropping putts."

Williams started hot, shooting 3-under on his first four holes and missing a hole-in-one by inches.

"I think it's our best tournament of the year," Adams said.

Punith Damidi (79) and Alec Cross (81) were right behind Newman for Neuqua.

"Out here it's all about hitting fairways because of all the trees," Newman said. "So I really dedicate the 74 to the driver and off the tee."

He finished fast, birdieing two of the final five holes.

Matt Lesniak led Lake Park's charge to third place with a 76. The Lancers finished 3 shots ahead of South Elgin, for whom Dilan Patel carded a 77.

Patel overcame a slow start with three early bogeys to make eight pars in a row.

"I made one birdie going through and then got a couple of good up-and-downs on the front to kind of scramble my way to 77," he said.

Nick Ziamis shot 80 for the Storm.

Dundee-Crown was another 9 strokes back in fifth place. Matt McQuillen's 79 led the way for the Chargers.

Bartlett, with a team total of 363, didn't have an individual below 80 but came up with a consistent effort throughout the lineup. Tom Clement's 88 was the Hawks' low score.

Westminster Christian's Jackson Hulsey carded a 79.

Hoffman Estates finished at 378, led by Jeremy Weidner's 81.