Chippewas showcase depth in win

FILER TOWNSHIP — How much depth does Manistee possess this season?

Well, the Chippewas rested four of their top golfers and still took first in a tri-meet.

Manistee posted a team score of 182 to beat Fremont Providence Christian (204) and Onekama (219) at Manistee National on Thursday to improve to 4-0 in matches outside of tournament play.

“We’re solid and we’re deep and we proved that today,” said Manistee coach Mike Swanson. “We can play a lot of different people and still score well.”

Onekama senior Derek Hobart fired a 6-over 41 to tie with Providence Christian’s Mahlon Volz for match medalist honors on the front nine at Canthooke Valley.

“I was playing my ball really well today,” Hobart said. “I didn’t find myself in a lot of trouble. I was placing it well and the wind didn’t affect me much.”

Hobart made a trio of bogeys and a triple on the par-4 fifth to go with five pars.

“I’ve been shooting 40s lately,” he said of his last two rounds. “I’m not real happy with that, but it can all come down. It’s still early and I’ve just got to work on the little things.”

Conditions deteriorated rapidly Thursday as the temperature plummeted into the 40s with a strong north wind and a bit of rain mixed in. But, the Chippewas still had five players shoot in the 40s, led by Alex Lindeman and Adam Ball, who both carded a 45.

“It wasn’t what I wanted,” said Lindeman, who shot a 38 on Monday on the same nine. “It was a bad 45, it wasn’t a good 45.”

Lindeman opened with a par, but struggled putting together back-to-back holes and took a quadruple bogey on the par-4 seventh. “It was all over the place,” he said. “After that quad, I knew I couldn’t just stop there and give up.”