Redmen rule at Esky event
By DENNIS GRALL, Escanaba Daily PressESCANABA — The Marquette Redmen used their depth Thursday to win the Escanaba Invitational boys golf title.
With one of their top players absent, the Redmen shot 321 at the Escanaba Country Club to win the eight-team event. Last week at ECC, led by Austin Gauthier’s 76, the Redmen shot 322.
Jake Robinson replaced Gauthier, who was playing in a hockey tournament, and his 86 was among Marquette’s top four scores.
“Our strength for us is our depth,” said Marquette coach Ben Smith. “The fact we can plug a player in is really good. We can get real good scores out of a lot of spots. That is the key to being successful.”
Last week the Redmen finished 21 strokes back of Gladstone. This time the Braves ballooned to 328 and finished third, two strokes behind runner-up Menominee.
Smith said Gladstone’s round, which snapped a 17-match win streak by the Redmen, caught Marquette’s attention. “I would think the kids see that and say they’ve got to get this thing squared away,” he said.
However, Smith said the Redmen didn’t go out to beat Gladstone. “You can’t worry too much about what other people are doing,” he said. “That can be counter productive.”
Ryan Schmeltzer led the Redmen with 75, improving five strokes from that Quad Club meet. Ben Johnson cut three strokes off his round with 77. Eric Hummel of Menominee also shot 75.
Matt Miller of Escanaba captured medalist honors with 74, a 19-shot improvement from last week.
“I gave up last week,” he said. “This week I kept my composure and went hole-by-hole.”
Good putting and chipping were also key elements. “My driving was terrible. It put me in a little trouble,” he said. “I had some good iron shots to the green. I chipped close enough that my putts were easier.”
He said topping a strong field is a huge boost to his confidence, and also confirmed he can play with some of the Upper Peninsula’s top players. “I see them play and know now I can play at the No. 1 spot,” he said. “I’ve just got to be consistent.”
Nik Ahola and Mike Williams led Gladstone with 81. That was 10 strokes higher than Ahola shot last week to take medalist, but he had ear infections and strep throat earlier this week.
Marquette freshman Carley Saint Onge repeated as girls medalist. Her 86 was five shots better than last week’s effort.
Despite 36 holes at ECC, Saint Onge said “I still can’t read the greens. They are faster than I thought they would be.”
She hit solid drivers and second shots, and her approach shots were also good. “I gave a few strokes away on the front,” she said. “Putting could have saved me a few strokes.”
Calli Hoffman of Menominee was the only other player to break 100, finishing at 95 to help the Maroons win the title at 416. Marquette was second at 438.
