Northland Pines Boys Golf Battles at Preseason Invitational
On April 22nd and 23rd the Northland Pines Eagles Varsity golf team was able to participate in a preseason invitational held at the Wilderness resort in the Dells. Wild Rock golf club was the host venue for a two day, 36 hole event organised by Mosinee HS. This year’s event was run as a scored invitational and included ten teams from around the state. Northland Pines took seven players which included five returning Varsity players from last season and two players looking to play their way onto the competitive roster. The weather was a challenge each morning but gave way to pleasant conditions in the early afternoon of each round.
Ryder Will, Anderson Kielty, Sam Shrock, Owen Libby, Anthony Gaetano, Collin Reynolds and Easton Otto attended the trip.
Samuel Shrock and Anderson Keilty held strong throughout the two day event and placed in 3rd and 12th place respectively as individuals. Sam shot an impressive combined score of 160 while Anderson carded a 169.
As this was the very first time the Eagles have been on grass so far this season some rust was evident in a few of the other players. Even still, Northland Pines was able to take 3rd place out of the ten teams in the event. Several of which are Division 1 teams.
In the separate event held as a JV tournament for the players outside of the standard 5 Varsity scores, Collin Reynolds turned in two wonderful rounds on a difficult course to take 1st place overall with a combined score of 164.
Pines will continue to attend this event in the coming years as it is usually the first and only outdoor play we get prior to our conference play beginning.
On Friday, Pines played at the MACC Fund tournament held at the impressive Club at Lac LaBelle in Oconomowoc. The MACC (Midwest Athletes against Childhood Cancer) event is an incredible fundraiser benefiting children and families here in Wisconsin. The Eagles are very proud to participate and intend to continue supporting this cause for years to come. CLL is an intimidating course with a lot of elevation change, substantial bunkering and penalty areas everywhere you look. Water and unkept scruff surrounds the beautifully kept playing area. This was a windy and cold day which included some rain as well. Elevated greens on the majority of holes adds length to this already stout layout.
Seniors Ryder Will, Anderson Kielty, Owen Libby and Anthony Gaetano attended the play 4 count 4 event. These players have now played both venues which included Erin Hills last season.
Anderson Kielty continued his focused and determined play by shooting an impressive 79. This was good enough to place Anderson in 25th place amongst an impressive number of players attending. Ryder Will didn’t feel as though he was back in form yet but was able to work his way around the course in 81 strokes. Owen Libby was able to card an 88 in difficult conditions, falling victim at times to the visual difficulty of the course layout. Sightlines are challenging and knowing where to play setup shots is something we as a team were unaware of. Anthony Gaetano found some really good ball striking throughout his round and made strides in getting his game season ready while shooting a 95.
Both events served as invaluable practice for the upcoming season. Conference play begins officially on Thursday, May 1st as Mosinee HS hosts at Indianhead GC.
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
