Whitehall golfers settling into second place in DC
Keanu Estenson of Whitehall chipped onto the first green during their meet at the Whitehall Golf Course last week Monday. (Times photograph by Andrew Dannehy)
Mitchell Halverson of Independence/Gilmanton attempted a long putt during their meet at the Whitehall Golf Course last week Monday. (Times photograph by Andrew Dannehy)
While there hasn’t been a question about which team is the best in the Dairyland Conference, the Whitehall golf team is removing all inquiries about which team might be second best.
The Norse took second in all four competitions last week and widened the gap between themselves and third-place Eleva-Strum, while C-FC is well ahead of the rest of the pack. Entering Monday’s final competition, C-FC had 98 team points compared to 83 for Whitehall, 69 for E-S, 58 for Alma/Pepin, 34 for Independence, 30 for Augusta and 18 for Gilmanton.
The final conference competition was played at Trempealeau Mountain.
Independence and Whitehall are both set to begin Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association play this coming Tuesday at their Division Three regional at C-FC.
DC at Whitehall
While C-FC still won by more than 10 strokes, the top three teams were as close as they’ve been so far this season.
The Pirates came in with a 173, while Whitehall shot a 187 and Eleva-Strum finished at 191. Alma/Pepin finished fourth with a 212 followed by Independence, 282 and Gilmanton, 354. Augusta did not compete in the match.
Keanu Estenson led Whitehall with a 42. He was one of three Norse golfers to break 50 as Matthew Poulos shot a 46 and Drake Jurowski came in with a 47. Grant Olson, Kaehl Baken and Donald Loga all finished with 52s.
Charlie Baize led Independence with a 58 while Mitch Halverson shot a 66, Ethan Bouzek a 72 and Max Dejno an 86.
DC at Independence
The Norse added another second-place finish as they were 16-strokes behind C-FC and 23 better than Eleva-Strum.
Olson led Whitehall with a 42, one stroke better than Poulos while Estenson shot a 45 and Baken a 46. The Norse also got a 50 from Jurowski and a 56 from Loga.
The Indees only had three golfers competing in the competition as they took seventh in the team standings, with a score of 100 making up for the missing golfer. Baize led the team with a 62 while Dejno shot a 78 and Bouzek finished with an 83.
C-FC had the top three golfers in the competition, including medalist Cameron Lipinski who shot even par with a 35.
DC at A/P
C-FC was again well ahead of the field, but the Norse moved even closer to a runner-up finish by taking second, while E-S was fourth.
Estenson led the Norse with a 47, while Jurowski shot a 49; Olson, 51; Poulos, 54; Baken, 56 and Lyle Orsch, 60. The 201 was lower than the Norse typically shoot and 19 strokes behind C-FC, but the Cardinals struggled with a 227. A/P snuck into third place with a 214.
I/G finished fifth as Halverson returned to the lineup to lead the team with a 64. Baize shot a 69 and both Bouzek and Dejno came in with 82s.
Lipinski again earned medalist honors, shooting a 38.
DC at Gilmanton
It was another second-place finish for the Norse as they’ve likely clinched that spot in the standings entering the final conference match on Monday.
Whitehall shot a 195, 10 strokes better than E-S while C-FC again won the competition with a 177.
Estenson tied for the third-best individual mark with a 44 while Jurowski shot a 48, Baken a 49 and Orsch a 53. Poulos and Olson rounded out Whitehall’s golfers, both shooting 54.
Independence had just two golfers competing as Baize shot a 56 and Halverson a 64.
A/P was fourth with a 219 followed by Independence’s 320, Augusta, 333 and Gilmanton, 355.
