Hilltopper golfers finish fourth in sectional, Ben Wittmer advances to state tournament
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THE TOPPERS’ Ben Wittmer kept his eye on the ball during a tee shot at the WIAA Division 3 golf sectional at the Luck Golf Course May 28. The senior shot a 79 in the 18-hole tournament to qualifiy for the state meet. —photo submitted
The Glenwood City golf team’s bid for a third consecutive team berth to the state tournament came up short in the WIAA Division 3 Sectional hosted by Unity at the Luck Golf Course last Tuesday, May 28.
The Glenwood City golf team traveled to the Luck Golf Course last Tuesday to compete in the sectional against ten total teams. Having won their regional championship, the team knew they had a chance to move on. That considered, they were up against three of the best teams in the state in Chetek-Weyerhaeuser, Prentice, and Ladysmith. All three teams had averages for the season below Glenwood.
In regionals, the Hilltoppers knew they had not fired on all cylinders. The team set about working to remedy that. Coaches Matt Lamb and David Popko traveled with the boys. As they would note, “We knew if we were going to have a chance to move on, we would have to shoot the best round we have in five years. The boys accepted this challenge and they certainly went for it.”
Playing on a water-logged course, the team started out strong by posting a 169 on the first nine – their best of the entire season so far. Notable stand outs were Esdyn Swenby and Ben Wittmer, although Landon Obermueller and Charlie Lamb made the turn with good numbers as well. Wittmer was low with a 40, Swenby with a 43, Lamb with a 43, and Obermueller with a 44. At the turn, they were in third place.
The back nine turned out to be the decider for the team. The coaches pointed out how the boys really needed to go for it.
GLENWOOD CITY senior Brett Peterson prepared to hit from a tee box during the WIAA Division 3 golf sectional held May 28 at the Luck Golf Course. The Hilltoppers finished fourth in the meet.
—photo submitted
“We asked them to try and produce something really special. That’s a tall order. That level of pressure can both help and hurt. In this case, it helped some and not others.”
Indeed, the boys’ team still posted below their season average, but one tough hole for Lamb and some difficulty scoring par for Obermueller saw the team narrowly miss advancing to state for the third year in a row with a 342 (their season low) to finish fourth. Lamb posted a 50, and Obermueller a 45. The back nine did see Swenby post a 38 (a season low) and Wittmer a 39. The team shot a 173.
Senior Ben Wittmer finished with an 18-hole score of 79 to lead the Hilltoppers. Junior Esdyn Swenby shot a 81, sophomore Landon Obermueller carded an 89, junior Charles Lamb shot a 93 and senior Brett Peterson tallied a 121.
Chetek-Weyerhaeuser scored a 324 to win the 18-hole sectional meet and earn an automatic state berth. Prentice secured second place and the other team state berth with a 337. Ladysmith shot a 340 to finish third. Glenwood City would have needed to tie Prentice to force a playoff.
The coaches and team were disappointed, but also found some benefit, “All you can ask is that the players do their absolute best. They definitely played their hearts out. The parents were supportive and focused. We are proud of their play.”
An additional silver lining to the day was senior Ben Wittmer shooting a 79 which finished fourth overall, but because he was in third place for competitors not advancing to state, he qualified to compete in the state championships which were held this past Monday and Tuesday, June 3 and 4.
GLENWOOD CITY sophomore Landon Obermueller sent this putt to the cup during action at the WIAA Division 3 golf sectional held May 28 at the Luck Golf Course. —photo submitted
This is the third year running that Glenwood City has been represented at the state meet which is played in Kohler, Wisconsin on the illustrious Blackwolf Run Meadow’s Course which just hosted the US women’s open.
Some boys made the choice to attend the tournament as well and so the team traveled down on Sunday, June 2. They will play a practice round of 18 holes followed by 18 holes Monday afternoon and 18 holes Tuesday morning.
Ben Wittmer competed to finish as well as he can against some of the absolutely best in the state. It is quite an achievement.
The coaches spoke to this. “To go to state as an individual, you have to be playing better than everyone else in multiple tournaments under the most pressure. Ben handled that pressure admirably and we could not be prouder of his growth and development. Just four short years a gap we was a smiling freshman happy to post a score on the fifties and now he is playing against the best. It’s great to see and we are very proud of him.”
There will be a follow up story on how state went in the week after the tournament.