Hodag golfers miss sectionals by one stroke

A back nine fade on Tuesday cost the majority of the Rhinelander High School golf team the opportunity to advance in the WIAA tournament.

The Hodags shot 325 and placed fifth in a WIAA Division 1 regional hosted by Wausau East at Trapp River Golf Course. The top four teams in an eight-team regional advanced to next Wednesday’s sectional round. The Hodags came up one stroke short in that regard, as fourth-place Marshfield came in with a 324. 

Rhinelander was very much in position on Tuesday after playing Trapp River’s front nine in a collective 15-over with its five player team, but nobody shot lower than 41 on the second nine as the Hodags missed out by a stroke. 

“That was pretty rough,” coach Adam Schmidt said. “That was kind of a bummer there. For a while it was like, holy cow, we’re going to beat (Stevens) Point and all of them, I thought.”

Senior Sam Schoppe took one of four individual sectional qualifying positions up for grabs for players who were not on one of the top four teams. He tied for eighth overall with a 79. Blake Petroff shot 81 and was the odd-man out following a five-hole playoff among three players for the final two sectional spots. 

Grant Gremban missed the playoff by a stroke, shooting 82. Brody Kowieski shot 46 on the back nine to shoot 83 overall and miss by two strokes. Hank Kowieski shot 84. 

Schoppe made three consecutive bogeys over the final three holes to shot 42 on the second nine. Brody Kowieski carded back-to-back doubles on the 13th and 14th and then bogeyed the 17th and 18th. Schmidt said all five players could look back at moments in their round where they could have saved a stroke or two.

“Some holes where we hit driver, you know, should we have laid up or not? They were like, ‘Oh, so many lip outs,’ but that’s part of golf. I mean is what it is,” he said.

Petroff made a double on 16 followed by a bogey on 17, but parred the 18th to shoot 81 and get into a three-way playoff with D.C. Everest’s Ben Zoesch and Merrill’s Connor Wade. Zoesch was the only one of the threesome to par the first playoff hole, claiming one of the two remaining sectional tickets. Wade and Petroff played four more holes until Waid prevailed with a birdie on the fifth extra hole. 

Petroff hit his second shot long and into the penalty area on the short par-5 and, after a penalty drop, burned the edge on a chip attempt for birdie. 

“He’s tried to chip it in and it rolled right over the edge of the hole. It was just going too fast,” Schmidt said.

Schoppe made the turn in 1-over 37 that included birdies on the second and the fifth. He advanced to sectionals first time since qualifying for the WIAA state meet as a sophomore two years ago.

“The front nine he really kept the ball and play,” Schmidt said. “He only hit a driver on one hole, the first hole, and he hooked it into a bush. I think chipped it just short of the green, or on the green, and two-putted for par. After that, he’s like, ‘I’m not hitting the driver anymore.’ He just kept the ball and play.”

Brody Kowieski was looking to make it back to sectionals after advancing individually out of a water-logged regional last year in Marshfield, but his late stumble put an end to that chance and his high school golf career. 

“Brody had a couple of rough holes on the back nine. He was playing really good,” Schmidt said. “It was definitely fun over the years to have him. He’s such a nice kid and he really took it well. He was like, ‘Well, messed up on a couple of holes, you know, is what it is.’”

Scores were low across the board in the eight-team regional. Wausau East won on its home course with a team score of 301. Wausau West (313), Stevens Point (320) and Marshfield claimed the other team qualifying spots. Wausau West’s Russell Harder and Wausau East’s Sawyer Krambs each shot 1-over 73 to share medalist honors.

Schmidt said Trapp River’s 6,400-yard layout was very gettable, as long as players kept the ball in play.

“I mean, they’re short and as long as you hit, and keep the ball in play, they’re easier,” he said.

Hodag Invite

Rhinelander came into Tuesday’s round with confidence after shooting 330 and winning its home invite last Friday at Northwood Golf Club. 

Schoppe shot 77 to take medalist honors in that event by six strokes. 

“He was 1-under pretty much the whole (back nine) so that was exciting,” Schmidt said. “He just played good golf, kept the ball and played, hit it on the green in regulation and, he got up and down a couple times. He just played good.” 

Petroff and Hank Kowieski shot 83 to finish tied for second. Grant Gremban shot 87 to tie for seventh. 

Sectionals will take place next Wednesday at Greenwood Hills Country Club in Wausau. To advance, Schoppe will need to be one of the top three golfers who are not among the two teams that earn state qualifying bids. 

“We’ll go play a practice round on Tuesday and then a Wednesday we’ll tee it up and Sam will get a chance of another run at state.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].