May 15, 2023 at 7:47 a.m.
Hodag golfers take 3rd at Eagle River, 6th in Merrill
The Hodags matched their season-low round of 325 strokes and took third Friday in the fifth leg of the Great Northern Conference tournament at Eagle River Golf Course. The team followed that Saturday with a round of 336 and a sixth-place finish out of 19 teams in the Merrill Best Ball Invite at Merrill Golf Club.
Rhinelander's 325 on Friday was a bit different than the one they shot three days prior at Bass Lake Golf Club in the fourth leg of the conference tournament. Coach Adam Schmidt said Friday's round included a bit more short-game magic.
"The boys didn't hit the fairways and the greens very well, but they really scrambled awesome," he said. "This kids were saying if the greens were as nice as Bass Lake, it would have been even lower. It was in rough shape. They're not open yet and it was definitely like playing a course that wasn't open."
Senior Andrew Henrichs backed up a career-low round of 76 last Tuesday with another 76 on Friday, playing Eagle River's par-72 layout in 4 over par. Henrichs made just five bogeys on his round, offset by a birdie on the short, par-5 17th. That was good enough to finish in a tie for third on the day.
Brody Kowieski played without a double bogey on his card and shot a 6-over 78, to tie for fifth place. That included birdies on both of Eagle River's front nine par 5s - the first and the ninth. Sam Schoppe shot 81 to finish in a 10th-place tie.
"They got up and down a lot. Andrew was like the up and down master. Brody got up and down a ton too, so did Sam," Schmidt noted.
Blake Petroff shot 90 on the day and Braden Mork shot 91 on Friday as the Hodags finished only 13 strokes behind meet winner Lakeland and only two behind runner-up Medford. Mosinee took sixth on the day, moving Rhinelander into third place in the overall conference standings.
"Blake had a few rough holes but he still managed to play bogey golf, that was awesome. Braden shot 91, that was a personal best for him. That was pretty cool," Schmidt noted.
Saturday's non-conference invite featured a unique format in which teammates were partnered in pairs and there was a best ball competition added to the individual and team stroke-play events.
Kowieski had the best individual day for Rhinelander, shooting 78 to take eighth individually. Henrichs and Schoppe both shot 81st to tie for 16th and Petroff shot 96. Because of the best-ball format, there were only four players per school team.
"The back nine Andrew said was tough for him. He got on the bogey train for a little white and had a couple of doubles. Sam just got some bogeys," Schmidt said. "Brody played pretty good and then Blake shot 96. He struggled a little bit, hit some poor shots."
Henrichs and Schoppe shot 72 as a best-ball team, taking the best individual score of the pair on each hole. That put them in a tie for sixth out of 39 twosomes, just outside the podium. Kowieski and Petroff shot 76 as a team, tying for 12th.
Saturday's meet included all seven Wisconsin Valley Conference schools, six of which will be in Rhinelander next Tuesday for a WIAA Division 1 regional. The Hodags finished fifth out of the regional teams in attendance behind Lakeland (313), Wausau West (314), Wausau East (330) and Merrill (335). Another regional opponent, Stevens Point, finished only one stroke behind Rhinelander.
"All and all, 336 isn't terrible but we talked to the guys that this is a good (indication) of how we're going at regionals, what teams we've got to beat," Schmidt said. "They're like, 'Holy cow, we've got to shoot pretty good to make it through regionals.'"
The Hodags will wrap up the Great Northern Conference tournament today at Inshalla Country Club in Tomahawk. The penultimate leg of the conference tournament took place yesterday at Trout Lake Golf Club in Arbor Vitae and concluded after press time for today's edition.
Through five legs of the conference tournament, Henrichs had vaulted into fifth in the individual conference standings, Kowieski sat 10th and Schoppe was 13th. The top five after today's play earn first-team all-conference honors, positions 6-10 will earn second-team recognition and spots 11-15 will receive honorable mention.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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