BOYS GOLF: Lamphere finishes 12th at regionals
Lamphere senior Justin Ross gets ready to hit a shot in the
fairway on Thursday during the Division II Region 9 Golf Championships
at Fieldstone Golf Club in Auburn Hills. The Rams finished 12th. (Photo
by Tom Watts)
Lamphere senior Jesse Carpenter listens as Rams coach Art
Maisano provides instruction on Thursday during the Division II Region 9
Golf Championships at Fieldstone Golf Club in Auburn Hills. Carpenter
earned the team MVP honors after shooting a team-best 96. (Photo by Tom
Watts)
Lamphere freshman Koede Bautista hits one off the tee on
Thursday during the Division II Region 9 Golf Championships at
Fieldstone Golf Club in Auburn Hills. Bautista was the rams’ lone
freshman to compete in regionals. (Photo by Tom Watts)“It was a wonderful and fun experience,” said Carpenter, who was named the Rams’ Most Valuable Player after shooting a team-best 96 at challenging Fieldstone Golf Club.
“I only played golf here for three years – didn’t play my freshman year,” he said. “But we went to regionals two years in a row.”
Rishi Patel of Detroit Country Day shot a 71 to earn medalist honors to lead the Yellow Jackets (team score of 318) to the regional title. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep finished second to qualify with Country Day to next week’s Division II state championships
But for Lamphere, success is measured not in the overall team score but rather the experience taken away from competing with the area’s best high school golfers.
“Madison Heights is a blue collar town and to make it to regionals two years in a row – we’ve done well,” Lamphere coach Art Maisano said Thursday. “We finished fourth in our league (Macomb Area Conference Silver Division) and we overachieved to make it here. These are good kids and I am proud of them.”
Lamphere shot a team score of 397 as Carpenter and teammate Billy Aman, an improving junior, each shot a 96, followed by teammates Koede Bautista (101), a freshman, and seniors Vince Mandarino (104) and Justin Ross (120).
“I’m proud of myself,” said Bautista, who was the Rams’ lone freshman to make the regional team. “I want to get myself better. With these kinds of courses there’s a lot of pressure. It’s hard to concentrate - the greens are really fast compared to Maple Lanes (Golf Course in Sterling Heights).”
Maple Lanes is the home course for the Rams and Fieldstone Golf Course was the “toughest” links the Rams played all season.
“Nothing’s given,” Bautista said. “You have to work hard for what you want. I definitely want to get better.”
Mandarino, a senior, called it a “tough day” as Fieldstone’s difficult course combined with on-and-off rain spelled trouble for most of the field.
“I’m glad we made it here,” Mandarino said Thursday. “It’s great competition. We put up a good team score at districts (hosted by Lamphere last week at Maple Lanes) after losing good talent from last year’s team.
“Hopefully they (Lamphere) can bring up some good freshman talent,” Mandarino said. “For having a small team, a small school (population) and not a lot of good golf course to choose from around us – we did pretty well.”
Maisano, now in his ninth season at Lamphere after one year at Warren-Mott, said expectations for his program are to get out of districts and to get out of regionals one day.
“We don’t even have a home golf course,” he said noting the Rams use Maple Lanes is in Sterling Heights about six miles away. “We try to make golf special for the boys. We have them dress properly, conduct themselves accordingly. They could be out in the streets causing problems, but they’re good kids working hard to get better.”
Maisano said his seniors should hold their heads high. Ross was named first-team all-conference; Carpenter was named MVP for his performance on Thursday; and Mandarino was ever so close to being the team MVP and making all-conference.
“It will be tough next year with the three seniors graduating, but Koede is getting great experience competing in districts and regionals today,” Maisano said. “The season overall was a success.”
Last Updated: 6/6/2013 9:39:27 PM EST
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