Boys golf: Buffalo Grove's Woodin fires 70 to tie for BG title

Connor Woodin, a Buffalo Grove junior golfer, has taken his game to a different level this season.

"He really worked hard in the off season," said Bison coach Pete Duffer, "and every week he's been improving.

"He came in to this year with high expectations, and actually, I think he's exceeded those expectations up to this point. I'm really looking forward to see how he'll be finishing out the season."

Saturday at the prestigious BG Invitational at Buffalo Grove Golf Club, Woodin carded the best score of the day, a 2-under 70, to win medalist honors in the early flight.

Two other golfers - Tyler Greenspahn of New Trier and Jeffrey Kim from Glenbrook South - also shot 70 in the late flight.

Woodin said that he spent the off-season working with a couple of different local golf coaches, and that the advancements he's made have been "mostly in mindset."

"I have the mindset now of what I want to shoot - that is, I want to make a birdie on every hole. In the past I didn't have that."

Woodin birdied three holes Saturday, including the difficult 555-yard par-5 16th, where he drove to about the 150-yard stake, put it on the green, then 2-putted for the bird.

Even the changing weather didn't bother the junior at the tourney.

"It was very hot at the start," he said, "then it cooled off and got windy. The conditions were definitely tougher because of the wind."

Woodin's stellar round helped BG to a team win in the early flight. The Bison score of 309 just edged Hersey, second with 310, while Fremd was third at 315.

Defending Class 3A state champion Glenbrook North took team honors in the late flight, shooting a score of 293.

Kartik Vasuveda of Vernon Hills finished at 73; Tyler Wengronowitz of Rolling Meadows cared at 75; and Owen Spokas of Hersey also shot 75.

Nathan Delaney from Fremd shot 77 on the day.

"I felt like my round went pretty well," said Delaney, a sophomore. "I kept it consistent. Not too many birdies, but just consistent the whole round."

Delaney, who is in his second year on varsity, said that he's improved over the summer and chalks it up to continued practice.

"I've taken a big step up this year," he said. "Just added a lot of length to my game, and that's helped me build precision with my irons - and improvements to my putting have been critical."

Nick Lamberg of Elk Grove, a senior, also finished with a 77.

"I had an expectation to do well here," said Lamberg, "because I know this course."

In the late flight, Richard Wang of Stevenson excelled with a 74, and Leo Scopacasa had the top score for Libertyville with a 75.

Chad Tramba and Moises Martinez of Hersey each shot a 77, while 7-11 were lucky numbers for Naperville North's Peter Christiansen.

Christiansen birdied the 390-yard 7th and the 395-yard 11th en route to the Huskies top score of the day, an 80.

Nathan Barbakoff (78) helped Buffalo Grove to the early flight team win, and Woodin added that BG has some specific goals in mind this year.

"Number 1, we want to go to state," said the junior. "I think we can do it."

Woodin added that he had the thought in his mind that he could excel Saturday - but wasn't quite ready to write it in stone, and also felt like his score could have been even better.

"If you told me (before the tourney) I could have done it (shoot 70), I would have been thrilled - but even so, I left a lot of strokes out there."