Hodag golfers take fourth, second in opening GNC meets

TOMAHAWK —Twenty-four hours seemed to make all the difference for the Rhinelander High School golf team as the Great Northern Conference season got underway late last week. 

After struggling to a 346 and a fourth-place finish in cold, rainy conditions Thursday in the conference opener at Indianhead Golf Course in Mosinee, the Hodags rebounded a day later in Tomahawk, shooting a 315 in a runner-up finish at Inshalla Country Club.

Apart from a lack of rain, conditions weren’t much different Friday in Tomahawk, though coach Adam Schmidt said his team did a much better job handling the weather. 

“The guys are really excited. We talked about that in the car on the way back from Mosinee that we just can’t play like that. So that was good that they came through,” he said.

Senior Sam Schoppe took home medalist honors on Friday, carding a 2-over round of 72 at Inshalla thanks to a back-nine charge. Schoppe was 4-over through his first six holes and then, after four straight pars, made another bogey on the 11th to drop to plus-5. His fortunes turned with a birdie on the par-3 12th, and he played his final seven holes in minus-3 — including two more birdies on the par-4 15th and par-4 18th as he finished two shots ahead of Lakeland’s Davis Kock.

“I just talked to him about just hitting good shots and being confident, and he did. He chipped in for one of them, so that was awesome,” Schmidt said.

    Rhinelander’s Grant Gremban hits his second shot into the par-4 18th hole at Inshalla Country Club in Tomahawk during a GNC tournament round Friday, May 2. Gremban shot 78 to tie for seventh on the day. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

Freshman Grant Gremban played Inshalla’s back nine in even-par 35 as part of a round of 78. That put him in a tie for seventh on the day. Gremban started on the 12th and played his first seven holes even par. He was 3-over on the day following a birdie on the par-5 seventh, before closing the first nine with a trio of 6s. He bounced back with a birdie on the 10th before a bogey on 11, his final hole of the day.

“That was pretty awesome for a freshman to do that. So we could definitely look forward to him the next couple of years. So, pretty exciting for him,” Schmidt said.

Senior Brody Kowieski shot 80 as missed out on the top 10 and conference points by a stroke. He had a double bogey-bogey finish on his final two holes, the 16th and 17th. Blake Petroff shot 85 and Hank Kowieski carded an 86. 

That came a day after the Hodags struggled in wet, windy conditions at Indianhead. None of Rhinelander’s golfers cracked the top 10 in that event, undone by some mistakes. 

Schoppe was the team’s best finisher with an 85, but a double bogey on his last hole of the day, the short, par-4 14th, cost him a chance at a top 10 finish. Gremban overcame a slow start to shoot 86. Starting on the 10th hole, Gremban played the back nine in 49 but rebounded after the turn, playing the front in 1-over 37.

“That was pretty awesome to see a freshman (rebound like that),” Schmidt said. “After shooting 49 most kids would be like, ‘Yeah, I’m out.’ And they throw up another 49 just walked away. He gathered his composure.”

Petroff shot 87 with a round that included four double bogeys and a triple on the par-3 sixth. Hank Kowieski made an eight on that same hole as part of a round of 88 and Brody Kowieski shot 89, foiled by a quadruple bogey eight on his 15th hole of the day, the par-4 10th.

“It was a grueling day and we did not play our best,” Schmidt said. “It was definitely a challenge of who was tougher. Like what team could just come out there and be like, ‘Hey, we’re playing in the rain. Big deal. Let’s do this.’ Our guys struggled. They found out they weren’t the toughest.”

Defending conference champion Lakeland won both legs by narrow margins, beating Northland Pines by four strokes on Thursday and Rhinelander by three strokes on Friday. Northland Pines, thanks to a third-place showing on Friday, sits a point ahead of Rhinelander for second in the conference standings through two rounds of the seven-round tournament. 

Mosinee’s Alex Steppke, who had rounds of 77 both Thursday and Friday, leads the individual conference standings. Schoppe sits tied for fifth thanks to his first-place finish on Friday and Gremban is 11th after scoring points in Friday’s round. The top 15 golfers at the end of the conference season will earn all-GNC honors.

The conference tournament continues Tuesday as Antigo hosts the third round at Bass Lake Golf Club in Deerbrook. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].