Bulldogs Win Fourth Straight Ryder Cup at Parkway

Peshtigo won the 2022 Ryder Cup at Parkway on Thursday, though Saint Thomas Aquinas Academy had the low pairing on the day.

The Ryder Cup format is played with two pairs of two golfers for each school. Of 18 holes, six are played alternate shot, six are best ball, and six are scramble.

Peshtigo’s pairs were Grant Bauman and Christian Boyle, who combined for a 76, and Travis Lund and Logan Smith, who finished with 81.

“This event is an annual favorite for our golfers as they enjoy the team dynamic. A big thanks to Coleman golf for hosting,” Peshtigo coach Kyle Cheney said. “This is our fourth straight Ryder Cup win, but it is the most special to me as this group had the least experience and greatly outperformed expectations.”

STAA’s Kaden Bailey and Theron Thayer finished with a 72 to claim gold in twosomes. 

“I know Kaiden had a great season last year and I would expect him to build on that this year. I told Theron prior to the season that he has the potential to be an all-conference performer this season,” STAA coach George Hayes said. “The fact that the two of them teamed up to win the Ryder Cup is quite impressive. This will be a good confidence builder for them as they move forward.”

Chase Gromala and Matthew Mushynski finished with 154 for the Cavaliers as well.

Lena was second as a team, with two strong pairs finishing near the top of the standings. Mason Simonson and KC Miller combined for 80, while Drake Dionne and Braden McVane finished with 81.

Oconto was third. Josh Maynard and Christian Koch shot an 80 and David Westenberg/Drew Reinhardt combined for 89.

Oconto Falls took fourth. Thomas Carmody and Caden Lenhardt shot 83 and Rease Hodkiweicz/Trevor Metzler shot 89.

Crivitz was fifth. A team of Joey Pickett and Kaden Klaver shot a 91.

Sturgeon Bay was sixth, just ahead of Coleman. For Coleman, Liam Zeitler and Kamron Kostrova combined for an 88 and John Zirbel/Scott Brazeau shot a 101.

For Marinette, Dominic Smerchek and Owen Hansen shot a 115 and Bryce Gamlin and Breydon Dunge combined for 106.

 

Marines Grab Win at 

Irish Waters NEC Meet

The Marinette Marines come into the 2022 golf season with high expectations, ranked third in Division 2 and aiming to get back to the state meet for the third straight season.

Wisconsin Golf ranks Marinette behind only Madison Edgewood and Xavier in D2, with three all-conference athletes returning.

Kelten Hermanson and Trey Kretz both return after making the North Eastern Conference first team in 2021. Kretz went on to take 18th in D2 at state last season. Keegan Polomis also comes back as a senior after an honorable mention in the NEC last spring.

Freshman Brady Eastman is penciled in to the fourth spot in the lineup, and the fifth spot is set to be a competition between sophomore Bryce Gamlin, juniors Owen Hansen, Aiden Zadurski, Parker Thill, and Dominic Smerchek, and senior Jake Sommerfeldt over the course of the season.

On Tuesday at Irish Waters Golf Course, it was Hansen getting the nod in the first conference meet of the year.

He shot a 117, with a 55 on the front nine and a 62 on the back.

Eastman stepped into his role as the team’s fourth golfer with ease despite difficult playing conditions, shooting an 83, including a strong 40 on the back nine. 

“I struggled with my putting but hit the ball really well,” Eastman said.

Hermanson shot a medalist round of 75.

“I putted the ball really well and struck the ball even better,” Hermanson said. “Started the first conference match with an individual win and a team win. We’re heading to Whistling Straits tomorrow and I hope that my good play carries over.”

Kretz shot an 81 and Keegan Polomis carded an 86. Kretz felt like he played “ok” in the early season match while Polomis said he “struggled” at the start but “grinded out” the rest of the round to help save his score. Nonetheless both were “very happy with the Team win.”

Sophomores Mike Phillips and Breydon Dunge and junior Ethan Schoen are also in the mix for that fifth spot, Marinette coach Pete Kretz said.

“We will be very competitive again this year,” coach Kretz said. “I have a very experienced and determined team.”

Oconto Falls was fourth as a team on Tuesday with a 374. Rease Hodkiewicz shot an 86, Kaden Riel carded a 91, Trevor Metzler shot a 99 and Caden Lenhardt’s 98 was the team’s fourth score. Thomas Carmody’s 104 was dropped.

 

Area Teams Compete 

at Whistling Straits

Area teams competed at a Coleman-hosted event at Whistling Straits on Tuesday, with Laona/Wabeno coming out on top out of 10 teams from around northeastern Wisconsin.

The teams played through roughly 35-degree weather and winds of 15 to 20 miles per hour on the day.

For the winners, Reed Christenson shot an 89, Ryan Simonis carded a 97, Owen Seeber finished with a 96, Gage Liptak shot a 102, and Lawton Webb’s 120 was dropped.

Second to L/W was Lena, which shot a 392 as a team. Braden McVane paced the team with an 84, including a 39 on the back nine.

Mason Simonson (100), Evan Vanderzanden (103), Drake Dionne (105) and Mason Belongia (110) rounded out the rest of the Wildcat lineup.

Peshtigo was third with a 395. Medalist Grant Bauman led the team with a 79. 

“Grant’s round was impressive considering the conditions and an uncharacteristic triple bogey on hole 17,” Peshtigo coach Kyle Cheney said. “He got around the testing course with precision ball striking, hitting irons off the tee and aiming for the middle of the green.”

Logan Smith shot a 96, Travis Lund shot a 118, and Christian Boyle carded a 102.

Sturgeon Bay was fourth and Coleman took fifth at 425. For the Cougars, Kamron Kostrova shot a 94, followed by Liam Zeitler (107), Lincoln Henry (111), Evan Hockers (113), and John Zirbel (149).

Oconto shot a 428. Josh Maynard and Christian Koch shot 96 and 97, respectively. David Westenberg shot a 115, Drew Reinhardt carded a 120, and Connor Huggett finished with a 122.

Crivitz carded a 432 to take seventh, Saint Thomas Aquinas Academy was eighth with a 515, and Oneida took ninth with a 531. 

For Crivitz, Kaden Klaver’s 96 was a team-best. Jake Kosmecki shot a 107, Joey Pickett recorded a 110, Maisen Eiting shot a 119, and Brayden Marvin’s 120 was dropped.

STAA’s leader was Kaiden Bailey, who was second individually of all golfers with an 81. Theron Thayer’s 108 was next, followed by 154 from Chase Gromala and 172 from Tayen Schwartz.

 

Laona/Wabeno Tops 

AreaTeams at 

Hunters Glen Tri

Laona/Wabeno defeated Crivitz and Coleman at Hunters Glen on Friday afternoon.

Reed Christianson had a medalist round of 76 for the Rebels. Ryan Simonis carded an 81, and both Gage Liptak and Owen Seeber finished with 91 apiece. Lawton Webb carded a 105.

Crivitz shot a 364 as a team, two strokes ahead of Coleman’s 366.

Crivitz was led by Joey Pickett (84) and Kaden Klaver (85). TJ Mueller (97), Maisen Eiting (98), and Jake Kosmecki (99) rounded out the Wolverine scores.

Karson Casper paced Coleman with a 79. Kamron Kostrova shot an 84 and Liam Zeitler finished with a 96. John Zirbel shot 107 and Scott Brazeau shot 112.

 

Bulldogs Take First, 

Oconto Second at 

Vernon Hills

With enough players to qualify for a team score for the first time this season, Peshtigo picked up a Packerland Conference win at Vernon Hills on Monday.

Logan Smith, a track athlete, is joining the golf team on non-track days, and for the first time this season, he stepped in on Monday and put up a solid score, carding a 47 to help the Bulldogs to a 178 team score.

Grant Bauman’s 36, good for par, was also good for the best score of any individual on the day. He was remarkably consistent on the day, making nine straight pars.

“Grant got this result without having his best ball-striking game,” Peshtigo coach Kyle Cheney said. “He was carried all day by a hot putter, making three puts for 20-plus feet to save par.”

Christian Boyle shot a 43 and Travis Lund finished with a 52.

“It was nice having a full roster and posting a team score for the first time in conference this year,” Cheney added.

Oconto was second as a team with a 185. Christian and Carter Koch shot 45 each, Drew Reinhardt shot a 46, David Westenberg shot a 49, and Josh Maynard’s 50 was dropped.

Southern Door shot a 189 as a team and Sturgeon Bay shot a 185. Sevastopol and Gibraltar had less than four golfers and did not qualify for a team score.

 

Oconto Grabs Win 

at Little River 

Packerland Meet

Peshtigo’s four-year stretch of uninterrupted Packerland Conference golf dominance has come to an end, with Oconto winning the first two meets of the 2022 tour.

Just three teams had four golfers at the second tour stop at Little River on Thursday, with Oconto’s 185 the best of the three.

Peshtigo put up respectable individual numbers, with Grant Bauman leading the field with a one-over-par 36, Christian Boyle posting a 42 and Travis Lund carding a 52, but the Bulldogs were a golfer short of qualifying for a team score.

Bauman, who tied for 12th at the Division 2 state tournament last year, is starting off the 2022 season where he left off last year. He birdied holes 12 and 18 on Thursday.

“Grant is in great form to start the year and make another great run in the state tournament,” Peshtigo coach Kyle Cheney said.

To help the team fill out a full roster, Logan Smith will be joining the team on non-track days in the coming weeks, and Cheney said the coaches are open to any players joining the team mid-season.

“Coach Dufrane and I would love to see some freshmen and sophomores join up mid-season,” Cheney said. “Golf is such a great game that gives back and is a lifelong sport. No experience is just fine. We are up for the challenge.”

Oconto was led by 43s from Christian Koch and Carter Koch, who both shot 43s. Carter Koch shot two sevens to start the day before settling in and shooting no worse than a five the rest of the day. Christian Koch had four pars.

Drew Reinhardt shot a 49, Josh Maynard carded a 50, and David Westenberg shot a 53.

Southern Door (191) and Sturgeon Bay (193) were the other two teams with qualifying team scores.

 

Wildcats Win M&O

 Meet at Parkway GC

Saint Thomas Aquinas Academy hosted the M&O Conference at Parkway Golf Course on Thursday for a nine-school conference meet.

Lena won the event handily, with a low score of 189. Lena had the two best individual scores, with Braden McVane and Drake Dionne tying for medalist honors at 44. Mason Simonson and KC Miller shot 51 each and Evan Vanderzanden’s 50 was the team’s third-best score.

Oneida’s 215 was good for second. Crivitz was third at 218. For the Wolverines, all four of their golfers were under 60 strokes: Joey Pickett (51), Kaden Klaver (52), Jake Kosmecki (57), and Maisen Eiting (58).

Coleman took fourth with a 221. Kamron Kostrova shot a 52, John Zirbel carded a 53, Liam Zeitler shot a 58, Scott Brazeau shot a 58, and Evan Hockers shot a 64.

The hosting STAA Cavaliers were fifth at 254. Kaiden Bailey’s 45 led the Cavaliers, with Theron Thayer’s 49 close behind. Matthew Mushynski shot a 72, Chase Gromala carded an 88, and a 100 from Tayen Schwartz was dropped.

Gillett’s 264 was good for sixth. Lars Grover’s 56 led the team, followed by Taylor Schuster (63), Elsa Limberg (66), and Laney DeBauch (79).

Niagara did not qualify for a team score. Nate Olsen (62), Oren Loukus (67), and Hannah Pech (83) competed for the Badgers.