The team below was compiled by the Oakland Press. The writer below never saw much golf if any this year and I will tweak the list with my own all-County team later this week. What do you think of the list? Comments are welcome below.
ALL-COUNTY BOYS GOLF: Plenty of talent to go around in 2013
Lakeland’s Alex Kleckner drains a putt on his way to a 3-under par 69 for the low score of round 2 at the Division 1 golf championships at Forest Akers West on June 15. (The Oakland Press file photo)
Novi Detroit Catholic Central's Charlie Green averaged 75.2 per 18 this season and will play at Michigan State next year. (The Oakland Press file photo)
A year after helping his team to a state championship, Brother Rice's Kyle Gaines won a regional title in his senior season. He'll play at the University of Detroit Mercy next year. (The Oakland Press file photo)
By the end of the season, Oakland County had two top 10 finishers at the state tournament in both Division 1 and Division 2, including Lakeland’s Alex Kleckner, who finished second at the Division 1 tournament at Forest Akers West in East Lansing.
Several area players were named to all-state squads and many of those were named to the All-County team by the Oakland County Coaches Association.
Alex Kleckner (Jr.), Lakeland — The state runner up in Division 1 in 2013, Kleckner put together a second day round of 69 in the state tournament to force a tie and a playoff with eventual state champion, Kyle Rodes of Plymouth. Kleckner finished the season with a tournament average of 74.2 and has started to gain the attention of Division 1 colleges. Kleckner was the lone Oakland County golfer selected to the All-State Super Team.
“He’s progressed pretty well and he only had one bad tournament this year,” said Lakeland coach Hugh Felt. “He’s been pretty consistent throughout the year. He just works hard and compared to other golfers, he just outworks them and keeps trying to get better at the game.
Justin Pahl (Jr.), Lakeland — A key contributor to the Lakeland squad all season, Pahl finished with a 76.2 average and will be one of the key leaders for the Eagles next season. He started the season strong with an early-season average of 73.8. Shortly after the Division 1 state tournament, Pahl advanced to the Sweet 16 of the Michigan Pro Am and will team with Kleckner to help form a very experienced Lakeland squad in 2014.
“He was just very relaxed this year,” said Felt. “In the past he would press, but this year he was very relaxed and his swing was smooth and instead of forcing things he was calm. As long as he stayed relaxed and comfortable, he was going to go out and score a good round for us.”
Alex Waelchi (Sr.) Lake Orion — One of the key players that helped lead the Dragons to possibly their best season ever, Waelchi took medalist honors at the Oakland County tournament and helped Lake Orion win the Oakland County team title as well. Waelchi finished with an 18-hole average of 75 behind a season-best round of 67 at Oakland Hills. Waelchi will play for Oakland University next year.
“Basically he’s been our No. 1 player since he was a freshman and he’s one of the hardest working players I’ve ever had and that was the case from the time he was a freshman until he was a senior,” said Lake Orion coach Monty Gallaher. “His scoring average for the second half of this year was a 73, and Oakland Hills on May 6 (67) was the turning point of his season. He was doing everything the right way, he’s a great student and both seniors, Alex and Mason (Gorris) were mirrors of each other as far as leadership goes and they showed that even though you start slow, you can finish strong.”
Kyle Gaines (Sr.), Birmingham Brother Rice — A key contributor to Brother Rice’s 2012 state championship squad, Gaines followed a strong junior campaign with another impressive season in his senior year. Gaines finished with an average of 75, and had a season best round of 68 at Lyon Oaks, where he won the individual regional title, finishing four shots under par and won by five strokes. Gaines will play golf for the University of Detroit Mercy.
“ He’s grown so much over the past few years,” said Brother Rice coach Dan Bumpus. “He just really grew a lot between his sophomore and junior year and played a big role on the state championship team last year. He continued his play this year and really took on the role of the team’s captain and stepped up behind the scenes as well.”
Eric Busa (Sr.) Rochester Adams — The unquestioned leader for the Highlanders this season, Busa was the senior captain and proved to be one of the most reliable players for head coach Dan Picot. Busa, a four-year contributor on the golf team, finished the season with a strong average of 76.8 to help lead the Highlanders after posting a season-best round of 70 at Oakland Hills earlier this season.
“He was our senior captain, a four-year player, and was very consistent, steady and reliable for us,” said Picot. “He was a battler who was going to battle for us shot for shot. He’s mentally strong and he was our grinder, he kept the team focused, but loose all season long and was a true leader for us on and off the golf course and in the classroom.”
Brandon Barrows (So.) Rochester Adams — Barrows made an immediate impact when he arrived at Adams as a freshman last year and continued to make a big impact on the Adams team in his sophomore season. He finished with a 75.6 18-hole average, which included a season-best round of 67 at the Oakland Hills North course earlier this year.
“He’s got all the talent that he needs,” said Picot. “He just needs to know how to hone it better but he’s got all of the tools. As far as talent is concerned, he’s got all of the talent in the world. He Just finished in third place at the Coca Cola Classic in Boyne with a big field of players and he’s the youngest player to ever play in the Michigan Open.
Garret Buckley (Jr.), Novi — One of the most consistent golfers in the area, Buckley put together strong efforts all season for the Wildcats as he earned All-State honorable mention in Division 1. Buckley finished his junior campaign with a 76.3 average for 18 holes, while he had a season-best score of 72 in districts held at Crestwood Village. Buckley recently tried to qualify for the U.S. Open and was chosen as a second alternative.
“Garret’s been one of those kids that don’t come along too often and he’s just a very, very solid player and he can get streaky hot where not very many people can match him,” said Novi coach Brad Huss. “He leads by example, he’s got a real nice personality and tons of energy and is a kid that gets everyone going because he’s always pumped up. He loves golf and loves the competitiveness and everybody feeds off of it.”
Michael Busse (Fr.) Rochester — Busse helped play a key role for a young core of players for the Falcons as the freshman had a breakout year of sorts after finishing with a 75.2 average. At the Oakland County tournament at Pontiac Country Club, Busse finished with a score of 74 to give him a third-place finish for the tournament and should help lead a Rochester team that will return all of its starters from this season next year.
“It’s pretty incredible, he was consistent all year long and I was really impressed with his composure,” said Rochester coach Paul Marti. “I think the most impressive thing was his all-around game, he doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses. But what stood out the most was his composure and if he’d have a bad shot, he’d have the ability to bounce back which was very impressive for a 15-year-old kid.”
Spencer Lendzion (Sr.), Stoney Creek — The team MVP for the Cougars in each of the last two years and the senior captain this past spring, Lendzion capped his high school career with an 18-hole average of 75 this year. Lendzion posted a season-best round of 71 at Oakland Hills North and also had a strong round of 73 at Birmingham Country Club, as he was named Division 1 honorable mention. Lenzion will play golf for the University of Detroit Mercy next year.
“His leadership clearly stood out,” said Stoney Creek coach Ryan Slade. “I thought that he wasn’t necessarily the biggest vocal leader, but the kids just saw how he goes about his daily routine for practice and that was something that the kids got to see and they followed suit with his leadership and practice regimen. He’s a strong competitor. A lot of kids with golf, they’re one-sport athletes, but Spencer played basketball as well and that showed his ability to compete and grind for us. He always just kept competing.”
Rishi Patel (Jr.), Birmingham Detroit Country Day — A state champion tennis player in the fall for the Yellowjackets, Patel showed he’s one of the state’s best golfers as well. He helped lead the Yellowjackets to a regional title at Fieldstone, where he was medalist, besting the rest of the competition by five strokes with a score of 71. Patel finished the season with a nine-hole average of 36 and an18-hole average of 74 and will go into next year as one of the state’s best two-sport athletes once again.
“Rishi’s never had a series of bad events happen to him throughout the season. Out of the nine tournaments he played in this season, he finished in the top five or better eight times,” said Country Day coach Dan Berger. “He was always able to hit the ball extremely well and he learned a lot this season. I still don’t think we’ve seen the best out of him, and that’s exciting.
Charlie Green (Sr.), Novi Detroit Catholic Central — One of the area’s top golfers over the past few years, Green capped his high school career with a strong senior campaign where he finished with an 18-hole average of 75.2, which included a season-best round of 70 at the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City in late April. Green, who earned a spot on the Division 1 All-State honorable mention squad, will continue his golfing career at Michigan State next year.
“I felt like he played solid all year long,” said Catholic Central coach Mike Anderson. “He won most of the events he competed in and was definitely the key to our success all season long. He’s going to play so great at Michigan State and I think he’s only going to get better.
Glenn Piot (Soph.), Novi Detroit Catholic Central — After a good finish to his freshman season, Piot followed with a very good sophomore season, where he put together an 18-hole average of just over 76. Piot had a season-best round of 72 at the Bed Valley Invite in early May and also had a first-round effort of 74 on the first day of the state tournament to put him in a tie for fifth place going into the second day.
“Glen is a young man who is very smart, straight-A student, focused methodically and works hard at his goals and achieving them,” said Anderson. “He is someone who leads by his actions on and off the course, and he started to play well last year, especially toward the end of the season and really put it all together this year.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Jeremy Ball (Jr.) Birmingham Brother Rice; Jameson Collar (Sr.) Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest; Dylan Deogun (So.) Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood; Johnny Fortuna (Sr.) Bloomfield Hills Lahser; Mason Gorris (Sr.) Lake Orion; Joey Hildebrand (Jr.) Birmingham Brother Rice; Jake Kneen (Jr.) Lakeland; John VanNoord (Jr.) Auburn Hills Oakland Christian
Last Updated: 7/27/2013 7:33:49 PM EST
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