Alli Wiertel is hardly a golfer who needs a home course advantage, but the Oswego Co-Op sophomore had it on Wednesday.

Well, sort of.

“This used to be where I grew up practicing so I know the course and I know what I was able to do out here,” Wiertel said. “I used to be a member, but I haven’t played here in a while. I was just trying to go as low as possible, try to make as many birdies as possible.”

Wiertel will take this outcome. She fired a 4-under par 68 at Blackberry Oaks Golf Course in Bristol for an 11-shot victory.

With Wiertel leading the way, Oswego Co-Op continued its stellar season by taking the Southwest Prairie Conference championship by 25 strokes.

Oswego Co-Op had four girls place in the top 10, with Kendall Grant (80) third, Giselle Resendez (89) eighth and Annabelle Williams (92) 10th.

Oswego Co-Op only beat Plainfield North by one shot during dual season, a meet Grant missed on a college visit, and Plainfield East by two.

But its score of 329 on Wednesday far out-paced Plainfield North (354) with Plainfield East (359) third. It’s Oswego Co-Op’s first 18-hole championship this season.

“We knew we could do it; there was no doubt in our mind that we were going to come anywhere but first,” Grant said. “Playing with this team, no matter what I can have an off day and our No. 5 will step up. It’s fun. Anyone can have a day out there.”

Wiertel’s had many days like Wednesday’s.

Fourth in the state as a freshman, second at sectionals, regionals and conference, she’s followed it up with a marvelous encore season.

She shot a course record 59 at Whitetail Ridge to win the Plainfield North Invite title, and was also medalist at the Plainfield East Invite.

Her round Wednesday included five birdies and just one bogey, although she wasn’t exactly content with how it went.

“It was a pretty solid round; I left some stuff out there,” Wiertel said. “I was even on the par 5s but overall played good. Hit some close shots. I feel like my driver was good. It was a good round.”

It was good to be back on our home course as a kid.

“Definitely some of the holes out there, I can take shortcuts on,” she said, “where a lot of the times on the par 5s I can give myself better looks to the green to help shorten up some holes.”

Youth was served at the meet, as Plainfield East sophomore Taylor Miller shot a 79 for second place. Teammate Kendall Battle, a junior, was sixth with an 88.

“A little disappointed but I know there is so much golf left in the postseason. Just trying to improve,” Miller said. “I was not hitting a lot of wedges and those are my main scoring clubs. I had to get my putter under control but once I did I was rolling.

“I hit driver very well so being able to get well off the tee set me up for holes. All and all I feel like I stayed in it. If this is my worst golf honestly I’ll take it.”

Plainfield North juniors Kiley Sanborn (80) and Annie Halvorsen (83), part of that program’s historic state-qualifying team last season, were third and fifth, respectively.

For Sanborn, it was a grind to battle the conditions, the course’s and her own physical health.

“I didn’t play my best but I wasn’t feeling my best. I was sick,” she said. “But it’s a good experience. I knew it wasn’t my best day. I tried to leave everything out there, tried to do the best I could.”

Joliet Central’s Sophia Podmolik (88) tied for sixth and Minooka’s Laney Przbyla (91) was ninth. Yorkville (390) and Minooka (394) rounded out the top five teams.

Regionals start next week, Oswego Co-Op, the Plainfields and Yorkville on Tuesday at Bliss Creek, and Wiertel has high hopes.

She set herself up for a big fall season by playing events during the summer like the U.S. Girls Junior in Georgia and the North and South at Pinehurst.

“Those are longer yardages and high-level competition and I feel those all prepared me for shorter courses like this, keeping a sharp edge and mindset,” Wiertel said.

“Individually, I think I do have a good shot of winning state. That is my goal, to win state as a team and make it to state as a team.”

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