Brethren, Onekama scramble
Bobcats' duo of Ringel, Waller takes first
with 3-over 39
By MATT WENZEL
Manistee News Advocate Sports Editor
Published:
Friday, May 27, 2011 9:29 AM EDT
ONEKAMA — From about 60 yards away, Derek
Hobart watched as his low shot bounced through the rough and rolled
about 30 feet across the green and into the hole.
The Onekama sophomore pumped hisfist while letting out a yell before
releasing a big smile.
The hole-out would have been Hobart’s first eagle in competition.
Only, it didn’t belong entirely to him. One-third of it went to
teammate Alex Welch, his partner in Thursday’s scramble at The
Heathlands. However, that didn’t seem to bother Hobart, who was
still grinning about the shot after the match.
“I didn’t think it was going (in) when it hit that long grass,” he
said. “It was sweet.” The eagle, though, wasn't enough for the team
of Hobart/Welch to claim victory as they shot a 4-over 40 on the
front nine and lost by a stroke to the Brethren team of Alex Ringel
and Bryson Waller, who turned in a 39 for the low scramble round of
the day for the Bobcats, who co-op with Bear Lake.
Onekama's Alex
Welch blasts out of the bunker on No. 9 at The Heathlands during
a scramble match on Thursday.
(Matt Wenzel/News
Advocate)
The match, which also featured
Traverse City Home School, was intended as a way for the golfers to
have fun.
“That’s really what we do it for,” said Brethren coach Tom Anderson.
“It’s kind of a relaxed format and they have a lot of fun doing it.”
There is usually a West Michigan D League scramble, but it got
scrapped this season because of all the rain outs. So, Thursday’s
round — which was played from the blue tees — was a way for the
Portagers and Bobcats to make up for it.
“This gave them a little different
environment in which to compete with one another,” said Onekama
coach Mary Jo Zadow. “That’s what the design was — just to have a
fun day.”
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Onekama sophomore Derek
Hobart reacts after holing out for eagle on the par-5 No. 6 hole at
The Heathlands during Thursday’s scramble. (Matt Wenzel/News
Advocate)
The Brethren team of Dillon VanderBie and
Dan Kasarskis shot a 41 while Onekama’s duo of Quinn Matthews and Paul
Cunningham turned in a 43. Because Onekama and Brethren brought only
five golfers each, Brethren’s Colton Podbilski and Onekama’s Emily
Bergren were paired together and shot a 48.
The lead group featuring Hobart/Welch and Ringel/Waller started on No.
3. Hobart’s eagle on the par-5 sixth hole dropped his team to even for
the round and three strokes ahead of their Brethren opponents. After
using Hobart’s drive and Welch’s second shot, Hobart, who used a
pitching wedge, said he was “trying to put it close, put it as close as
I could, so we could finish. I got a nice bounce out of it and it went
good.”
Their lead lasted all of one hole as a double bogey on No. 7 and a
Brethren birdie evened the match at 2-over. The Bobcats won the match by
getting up-and-down for par on the par-3 second hole.
“I like scrambles because you can actually relax,” Waller said, “and
it’s a lot more fun than being against everybody else and being all
stressed out.”
Outside of some of the goofing around and a few Happy Gilmore-style
drives, there was some gamesmanship.
“It’s pretty competitive,” Waller said.
Tougher competition is what’s in front of the Portagers and Bobcats with
Thursday’s scramble the last competition before the district tournament
next week.
“Now, after Memorial Day weekend, we’ll refocus and spend two days of
practice in preparation of advancement on to districts,” Zadow said.
“Tuesday and Wednesday there’s lots of work to do.”
Article and photos by Matt Wenzel, News
Advocate |