After a disappointing end to the season in 2023, the Boys Golf Team took care of business in the Sectional Tournament on Monday. The tournament took place at Randall Oaks Golf Club in West Dundee.
To qualify for the State Tournament, it is required that a team finish in the top three spots in their Sectional.
Last year, the Scouts placed sixth at Sectionals, missing out on a team spot at the State Tournament. Although the team sent former captain Tadgh Burke to state as an individual competitor, the Scouts failed to qualify as a team for the first time since 2016.
This season, the team appeared to be on a similar track to last year when they failed to win conference and the Regional Tournament for the first time in nine years. In addition, they were unable to win a tournament the entire regular season. Also heading into the Sectional Tournament, sophomore Michael Hahn, who won the Regional, was sick and was unable to compete.
Although the Scouts have struggled this season, they performed when it mattered. On Monday, they placed first at the Sectional Tournament, winning by four strokes over Libertyville’s Golf Team.
The Sectional win was extra special when they defeated Libertyville because of the previous loss they took to them in the Regional Tournament.
Senior captain Huston O’Neil felt good about Sectionals despite their struggles earlier in the year.
“I was never too worried about our ups and downs in the regular season because I knew we would heat up at the right time,” O’Neil said. “I think we all really locked in because we knew our season was on the line and it has come to a point where we all want it really bad.”
In the tournament, six players from each team compete, with four of the scores counting for the team’s total score.
On Monday, two Scout golfers individually tied for fourth place. Senior captain Jack Lamberti and senior Brady Baker each shot a 73, leading the Scouts to their first place ranking. Along with them, senior captain Huston O’Neil shot a 74 and individually tied for eleventh place . Lastly, junior Jack Douglass helped the Scouts secure their first place ranking shooting a 77.
In addition, senior Jack Walsh and sophomore Raunak Wadhera also competed at Sectionals. Their scores just missed the cut, but both shot an impressive 78, falling short of the Scout’s fourth score by one stroke.
Scouts Golf Coach Jim Matheson was very happy with the team’s approach and performance on Monday.
“It was a great day for Scouts Golf. All the guys were well prepared after playing a practice round on Sunday. As a team we stayed pretty aggressive all day and that led to a lot of birdies for the team as a whole,” Matheson said. “Overall, the team was very consistent and everyone shot 78 or below which is the sign of a very deep team.”
The top three teams at Sectionals were all within eight strokes. Golf Team member Brady Baker spoke on the importance of each shot at the tournament.
“Everyone needed to play their best golf because every shot mattered coming down to the end,” Baker said.
Monday was a big day for the Scouts. It was their first tournament win of the season and it came at a good time. Senior captain Jack Lamberti feels the Sectional win will help the Scouts for the upcoming State Tournament.
“It helped to win Sectionals because it got us winning again and gave us the momentum going into the biggest tournament of the year,” Lamberti said.
The Scouts haven’t won the State Championship since 2019. The team leaves Wednesday October 16, looking for a victory at the Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington.
