Story originally printed in the Onalaska Life or online at www.onalaskalife.com
Published - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
OHS golfers at PGA course today, wrap up MVC
As one of the top teams in the state throughout the past decade, Onalaska High School's boys golf team has been afforded the opportunity to play several fine courses. Three of those tournaments come in the final week of April and May, and serve as good marking points in regards to the state scene for Onalaska.
With this spring's rains, the Hilltoppers have been unable to play two of those rounds, their own invitational April 25 at the La Crosse Country Club and the Hartland Arrowhead Invitational April 26 at Erin Hills, which is in line to host the 2017 U.S. Open. OHS will get its third and final late-season shot to see how it compares to some of the state's top teams at today's Whitefish Bay Invitational.
Today's match marks the third straight year that Onalaska will will play at Brown Deer Park, the home of the PGA Tour's former Greater Milwaukee Open. Brown Deer Park has housed the former GMO since the tournament moved from Tuckaway Country Club in Franklin in 1994.
Also a part of the field are Beaver Dam, Brookfield Central, Brookfield East, Cedarburg, Eau Claire Memorial, Germantown, Glendale Nicolet, Grafton, Holmen, Menomonee Falls, Mequon Homestead, Middleton, Milwaukee Lutheran, Milwaukee Marquette, Port Washington and Wauwautosa East. Memorial (second), the host (sixth), Brookfield Central (10th) and Milwaukee Marquette (11th) are ranked in Division 1 by the Wisconsin High School Golf Coaches Association. The Hilltoppers group will include Memorial, Whitefish Bay and Brookfield Central.
“Especially with the match at Erin Hills cancelled, this is now our biggest match of the regular season,” OHS head coach Dick Kyes said. “The kids are always excited to play a PGA Tour course, and we've got a great group that will give us a chance to see we're at in comparison to some of the other top teams in the state.”
Onalaska all-but-mathematically put the wraps on a seventh consecutive Mississippi Valley Conference championship Monday at par-71 Hiawatha in Tomah, finishing at 295 and 12 shots clear of Holmen. Cody Ferguson, four days after carding 16 pars in another MVC match win for the Hilltoppers at Coulee Golf Bowl, paced OHS at 1-over 36-36-72, including two sets of consecutive birdies, on No.'s 3 and 4, and 11 and 12.
“Cody has always been in the upper 70s,” Kyes said after Tuesday's Black River Falls Invitational, which Onalaska won at 302, 14 shots clear of Holmen. “There's really not particular phase of game that was better yesterday for him. But he's always been able to get up-and-down around the green and score.”
The Hilltoppers also got scoring rounds of 2-over 37-36-73 from Mark Wittchow, 35-39-74 from Brad Preeshl and 37-39-76 from Jason Jorgensen Monday. Clint Ferguson's 39-39-78 was thrown out, though it was good for a tie for ninth individually among the 35 players.
Wittchow had 14 pars and matched Jorgensen with a team-high three birdies in a 2-under 35-35-70 at the match at Coulee. Cody Ferguson shot 37-37-74, followed by Jorgensen at 39-36-75 and Preeshl at 36-39-75. Clint Ferguson had a 40-39-79 that was good for eighth individually.
OHS plays at Whispering Pines in Cadott Saturday, which is owned by Kyes and his parents, Frank and Nancy.
All stories copyright 2006 Onalaska Life and other attributed sources.