Topper linksters tighten grip on second spot in D-SC
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THE TOPPERS’ Ben Wittmer sent this putt toward the cup during a conference meet at Glen Hills last Wednesday, May 12.
—photo by Shawn DeWitt
With just three matches remaining in the regular season, Glenwood City firmed up his hold on second place in the Dunn-St. Croix golf standings with another pair of runner-up finishes last week.
For the sixth time in seven conference meets this season, the Hilltoppers finished in the number two spot after taking second in meets at Whitetail and Glen Hills Golf Course in league play a week ago.
Glenwood City finished in a second-place tie with host Colfax/Elk Mound in a Monday, May 10 Dunn-St. Croix meet at Whitetail. Then, just two days later, the Toppers were able to put some distance between them and the upset first-year cooperative from Colfax and Elk Mound schools as they posted their best score of the year with a 200 on the Toppers’ home course at Glen Hills May 12.
The latest finishes give Glenwood City 26 points in the team title chase with about a week left in conference and regular season play. That upped the local advantage to seven points over Colfax/Elk Mound who took over the third spot from Mondovi with 19 points. The Buffaloes slipped to fourth with 18. Durand continued to embellish its lead in the five-team golf conference with another two victories that took the Panthers point tally to 35 points.
Glenwood City golfers are also excelling. Junior Owen Swenby is currently ranked fifth on the individual scoreboard, which is good for first team all-conference recognition, while sophomore Ian Radintz is seeded sixth, the top spot in the second team all-conference standings. Another sophomore, Gabe Knops, is also on the second team list, sitting in a three-way tie for 10th overall.
D-SC teams did battle in Mondovi Monday and will finish out the nine-hole portion of the competition schedule today (Wednesday, May 19) with the second and final meet at Glen Hills.
The 18-hole conference tournament will be held Tuesday, May 25 back at Rolling Greens in Durand and will determine the top team and individual awards.
Whitetail
Glenwood City had a pair of sub-50 golfers when they competed at Whitetail Golf Course last Monday, May 10 for the second time in a week.
Owen Swenby swung for a 44 and Ian Radintz tallied a 45 to lead the Hilltoppers to a second-place tie with host Colfax/Elk Mound. Both squads finished with a 205.
Freshman Ben Wittmer continued to impress with a 50 but scores jumped for the final two Topper varsity linksters – fellow freshmen Jared Hager hit for a 66 and Connor Berends finished with a 75.
Durand won again with a low of 174 as the Panthers’ Dawson Kurth won his fourth consecutive medalist title with a 41 and all four team-scoring players shot for 47 or below.
Mondovi was fourth with a 222 and Spring Valley/Elmwood had an incomplete score with only three golfers.
Only two GC golfers competed in the junior varsity competition. Damian Shervington shot for a 76 and Lewis Swanepoel carded a 77.
Glen Hills
After seven road meets, Glenwood City finally got to swing the clubs and work its putters on the fairways and greens of their home course at Glen Hills last Wednesday.
The Hilltoppers made the most of their homecoming, turning in their best composite team score of the year to date – a 200!
Glenwood City’s top four scorers were all within four strokes of one another. Owen Swenby and Gabe Knops, who did not compete at Whitetail, both shot 48s. Ian Radintz and Ben Wittmer each tallied a 52 on the nine-hole course, while Jared Hager carded a 61.
The high-water mark of the season easily gave the Toppers their fourth straight second-place finish. Durand also shot its top score of the season, hitting a 165 behind a 39 from Simon Bauer. Colfax/Elk Mound placed third with a 214 and Mondovi was just a stroke off at 215. With just three golfers, Spring Valley/Elmwood did not qualify for a team score once again.
Connor Berends’ score of 67 was top among the GC junior varsity trio. Damian Shervington was just a stroke back with a 68 and Lewis Swanepoel signed out with a 77.