Boys golf: Despite rough conditions, Ottawa rolls to own invite title

OGLESBY – Not rain, nor wind, nor soggy conditions can keep the Ottawa Pirates from shooting their appointed rounds … and shoot them very well.

With the wind, rain and coldest temperatures they’d played in all season giving it a late-fall IHSA postseason feel, the Pirates adjusted enough to pass that surprise test with flying colors, winning their own Pirate Invitational with a score of 293. Although it wasn’t their best score of the season, it certainly was stellar considering the conditions Monday at Deer Park Country Club.

Seth Cooper maintained his red-hot play by shooting a second-place 71, trailing only Minooka’s TJ Quinn by a stroke. Ottawa’s Jonathan Cooper was one shot behind his brother with a 72, while Drake Kaufman added a 74 and Jacob Armstrong a 76 to round out Ottawa’s scoring foursome.

Chandler Creedon just missed them with a 77, and Alex Billings shot an 82 as the hosts posted a team total that not only bested runner-up Geneseo’s total of 299, but that, despite such foul weather, was actually 10 shots lower than their winning score of 303 from a year ago.

“A 293 in these conditions is just spectacular,” Ottawa coach Keith Budzowski said. “Coming off a Saturday when we didn’t play as well as we should have down at Metamora, it just shows what these kids can do when they’re firing on all cylinders, when they’re all playing top golf, their best golf. … And there were several birdie putts that ended up just inches away, so it could have been even lower.

“Considering the postseason-like conditions, I wasn’t expecting a team score this low. It wasn’t easy out there today, but they wanted to show the caliber of golf they’re capable of, and they went out and did it.”

Also from the area, Morris placed ninth by winning a fifth-score playoff after tying with Newark at 331, while La Salle-Peru finished 13th by the same tiebreaker over Streator, both carding a 341.

Seth Cooper was in the individual title hunt until the final two holes when on No. 17 he rolled a birdie putt so close it was hanging over the hole but did not drop in. On No. 18, he had a chance to tie Quinn for the top spot but bumped a putt just an inch to the right of the hole.

“I had a few putts that went like that for me today. Some went in, some didn’t. That’s how it works,” Cooper said. “I missed a couple putts on the front nine that I thought I had hit pretty well, but I had pretty good control of the golf ball today. The irons worked pretty good today. On the back nine, I was sticking some irons.

“I’m just playing really well. These last few tournaments are the best I’ve played this season. … It was a good day because the team won. That’s the important thing.”

Serena saw senior Cam Figgins place 12th individually, firing a team-best 76. The Norsemen also had Carson Baker card an 84 for 46th place, with Hudson Stafford added an 85 for 54th and Mason McNelis an 86 for 55th. Hunter Staton shot a 90 and Braxton Hart a 96.

La Salle-Peru’s Carter Fenza maintained his quality play by shooting a 75, leaving him ninth overall.

“It was brutal starting out, windy and rainy, and it was even pouring at one point,” Fenza said. “I started off bad in that with, like, six bogeys, and I had one hole where the club almost slid out of my hands, so it went way right, then chunked a shot into a puddle … but once the weather started clearing, I steadied out, made some birdies and finished pretty well, I thought.”

The Cavaliers, who were without Coleman Rundle, saw Drake Hawthorne post a 49th-place 84, while Noah Reitgraf was 76th with a 91, and Riley Cetwinski also shot a 91. Michael Milota chipped in a 92 and Jon Milota a 99.

“This was a shock to them, I think, and it was going to be interesting to see how they adjusted to the conditions, and they did,” L-P coach Randy Gunia said. “They struggled generally when the rain hits them, and once they got through that, they did what they had to do and their scores improved. It was tough today, but the kids did fine.”

For Streator, Cole Park was best with a score of 79, good for 23rd. He was followed by Jayden Nambo with an 83 for 44th, Cooper Spears an 88 for 61st and Kylen Krasnican a 91 for 79th.

“We’ve been lucky so far because it’s been so nice, I think the kids have been spoiled by the weather,” Streator coach Dusty Masley joked. “I told them before we went out today that this could be regional weather, that they had to go out and do the best they can. … We didn’t have the scores we would have liked to see, but in these conditions we’re just fine.

“It’s not a bad experience but a different one for them, but it’s the same for everybody. In any case, it’s good practice in case it gets nasty later on.”