BOYS GOLF: Country Day claims regional title
The Yellowjackets threw together a team total of 318, claiming the regional title and punching their ticket to next week’s state tournament.
“Obviously, I’m very proud of the boys,” Country Day coach Dan Berger said. “We played okay at districts, but we responded very well today.”
Along with Country Day, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, which shot 324, and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood, which shot 329, also earned the right to play next week for the state championship.
The Cranes edged out fourth-place Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (330) by a stroke and fifth-place South Lyon East (331) by two.
Yellowjackets’ Rishi Patel carded the day’s low round with a 71, finishing one-under par and five shots better than the second-place finisher, St. Mary’s Kitt Koolwick (76).
“(Rishi’s) round helped to carry a lot of the load,” Berger said of Patel, who’s round featured three birdies and just two bogeys.
The junior hit 17 greens in regulation and needed just 34 putts on Thursday. He played very consistently, looking to simply hit fairways and make pars.
“I just wanted to hit fairways and hit greens,” Patel said. “I had three three-putts that hurt a little, but it’s just great that we qualified for states as a team.”
Although it’s tough to say a single golf shot decided the three bubble teams’ fate, when Cranbrook junior Robbie VanVoohis struck a wedge shot from the right rough on his final hole of the day, he hardly knew the effect his shot would have.
After the approach from 77 yards out dropped for an eagle, VanVoohis had no idea it went in. But the stroke gained with his hole-out proved to be just thing the Cranes needed.
“I just wanted to get it close for a birdie chance,” VanVoohis said. “I didn’t think I was going to get much spin out of the rough. It’s a pretty great feeling to be going to states.”
As scores began to get totaled, VanVoohis and his teammates saw Cranbrook slip ahead of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s by a stroke, securing them a spot in Thursday’s top three and next week’s state tournament.
“Robbie’s shot clinched it for us,” Cranbrook head coach said. “I didn’t see it go in, he didn’t see it go in, but it’s really cool that we’re going to states.”
Behind Patel and Koolwick, Bloomfield Hills Andover’s Brandon Steingold (77), Notre Dame Prep’s Jack Zohoury (78), and Auburn Hills Avondale’s Nikolas Senkowski (78) all received medals, with Koolwick, Steingold, and Senkowski all qualifying for the state tournament individually.
Missing out on qualifying for the Division 2 state tournament and finishing behind St. Mary’s and South Lyon East was Bloomfield Hills Andover (336), Armada (346), St. Clair (352), Warren Woods Tower (357), St. Clair Shores South Lake (369), St. Clair Shores Lake Shore (383), and Madison Heights Lamphere (397).
Last Updated: 6/6/2013 5:33:08 PM EST
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