GURNEE, Ill.–Last year, the boys golf team walked away from the IHSA Sectional golf meet with a bitter taste in their mouths after they failed to advance as a team. This year, the Scouts would have to conquer the challenging Bittersweet Golf Club in Gurnee, as they looked to replace last year’s bitter taste with the sweet taste of victory and a trip down south to the IHSA State Finals. Nothing would be easy for the Scouts as teams from all over northern Illinois looked to oust each other in search of the coveted top three spots that come with a bid for the state championship.

Obviously, nobody told mother nature the date was October 9th, because another beautiful day prevailed in Gurnee as sunny skies and warm temperatures yielded beautiful golfing conditions. The rain from over the weekend combined with the beautiful weather led most to believe there would be plenty of scoring opportunities, but as the players would soon find out, the course was ready to make things challenging for even the most elite high school golfers.

Players discovered just how tough things would be early on, when they faced the criminally tough third hole. This par three played at 196 yards with threatening water and bunkers to the left. The third hole managed to trip a handful of players, including the Scouts’ Jed Thomas and Danny Fisher. In fact, the Scouts’ top three of Thomas, Fisher, and captain Scott Frevert all missed the green on their tee shots. Frevert managed a beautiful sand save for par, but the hole did show how tricky things would be on the front nine.

While scores were inflating in the late groups, senior Connor Polender was out ahead and cruising along. Polender had a difficult round in the regional round the previous week, which meant he was the first Scout player to tee off for the sectional. Looking to rebound from regionals, Polender managed a 37 (+1) on the front nine, which was the best in show for the Scouts. He ended up finishing with a solid round of 74 (+2) which was much needed to set the pace for Lake Forest as the scores rolled in.

Behind Polender, things were not looking too great for the Scouts as the front nine came to a close. Frevert found the water on hole eight and three putted for a double bogey to place him at +3 on the front. At the same time, Fisher made a double bogey on hole nine to finish the front side at 40 (+4). It seemed as though the sky was falling, and a chance to qualify for the state tournament was slipping away for the Scouts.

Following the double bogey on hole eight, however, Frevert rebounded nicely with a birdie on nine to finish the front nine at 38 (+2). After making the turn, he found trouble right but managed to punch an incredible shot from behind the tree onto the green. Frevert sank the putt for two straight birdies which got him back to +1 for the day. Despite this important turnaround, the scores were still high, and Highland Park and Stevenson were posting scores that continued to put the Scouts at risk of missing their chance to advance to state for the second year in a row.

Senior Jed Thomas has led this Scouts team all year long, but a tough start to the round left him at +4 for the day. The Scouts needed someone to step up, and Thomas found that opportunity from 210 yards out on the par five fourteenth. Thomas stuck a seven iron to within six feet and then sank the eagle putt to place the Scouts back in the driver’s seat.

“That was the shot that changed the round for the entire team,” said head coach Jim Matheson. “It was most definitely the turning point for the day.”

In his first sectional appearance, Fisher recovered from a shaky start and played the type of golf he has been accustomed to all season. Thanks to a 34 (-2) on the back nine, both Fisher and Polender posted rounds of 74 (+2) to keep the scores competitive.

As more and more groups finished and scores came in, it became clear that Frevert and Thomas needed to finish their last two holes at even par for the Scouts to win. Thomas hit both greens in regulation on 17 and 18, and finished with two putts on each hole to finish at 75 (+3). Behind him, Frevert nailed a birdie on 16 and nice par on 17 which meant he just needed to par the final hole for the Scouts to win. Frevert found the fairway, but landed his approach short of the green. It would come down to an up and down to get the Scouts into first place.

After some careful consideration, Frevert chipped and left himself with a three foot par putt to win sectionals.

“It was a putt I have made a thousand times,” Frevert said after the round. “I knew I was going to make it, and we were going to win.”

Sure enough, Frevert downed the putt which left the Scouts with a final score of 296 strokes. Lake Forest tied with Highland Park, but thanks to a round of 80 (+8) from Michael Seaman–the fifth score for Lake Forest–the Scouts won the tiebreaker and the IHSA Gurnee (Warren) Sectional.

With the win on Monday, the Scouts will now head south to The Den in Bloomington, Illinois for the state championship beginning on Friday. Lake Forest will look for their first state championship since 2011 when they won it all. The top six will have to clean up some minor putting issues, but if they do, this is certainly a team capable of winning it all. Be sure to wish your golf team good luck before they leave, and stay tuned to The Forest Scout for updates and information on the state title run.

Catch the audio coverage of Scott Frevert’s 17th hole from Boys Golf beat reporter Kyle Wix below.