Preview: Past Champs, New Challenges
June 6, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Major opportunities – and some intriguing challenges – are among main storylines for this weekend’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Boys Golf Finals.
Two of last season’s team champions didn’t qualify for this weekend’s tournaments. A third 2018 champion – Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian – is playing in a new division, guaranteeing at least two new titles winners with a possible third against entirely new competition.
Meanwhile, three of last season’s individual champions will play to win again – and because of that NorthPointe move, last year’s Division 4 winner Erik Fahlen will face reigning Division 3 champ Pierce Morrissey in their final high school event.
Below are a handful of possible team and individual favorites at each Final. First-round play tees off at 9 a.m. Friday, with the final round beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday. Click for a full list of Finals qualifiers and Regional results.
LP Division 1 at The Fortress in Frankenmuth
Reigning champion: Grosse Pointe South
2018 runner-up: Rockford
Top-ranked: 1. Clarkston, 2. Warren De La Salle, Rockford.
Grosse Pointe South broke Detroit Catholic Central’s three-year hold on the LPD1 championship last season, and both should be in the mix again. Rockford posted its highest Finals finish ever a year ago and will be aiming for its first title. De La Salle also is seeking its first championship, and top-ranked Clarkston its first since winning Class A in 1994. Clarkston, Rockford and No. 5 Lake Orion all broke 300 at their respective Regionals.
Clarkston: After finishing fourth in 2017, the Wolves missed making the Finals field last spring by a stroke. Clarkston came back and dominated last week’s Regional at Pine Knob, shooting a 292 to finish 11 strokes ahead of a field that included No. 7 Detroit Catholic Central and No. 6 Hartland. Senior Noah Bridgeman shot 71 to finish first individually, and seniors Patrick Deardorff and Harry Bowman tied for second, one stroke back. All three were in the Finals lineup two years ago as well.
Warren De La Salle: The Pilots missed last season’s Finals even more tragically than Clarkston, tying for the third spot at their Regional and then losing the fifth-score tie-breaker by a stroke. This time De La Salle won its Regional at The Orchards with a 303, three strokes lower than No. 8 Grosse Pointe South and nine better than No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice.
Rockford: The Rams have improved from 15th to fifth to second the last three Finals and enter this weekend coming off a win at The Meadows with a 294 that bettered the Regional field by 13 strokes. Senior Kevin Healy is a four-year varsity starter and rose from tied for eighth individually in 2017 to third last spring. All five Rams shot between 73-76 at the Regional, Healy and sophomore CJ Stephan leading with 73s that tied for fourth.
Other individuals of note: Healy is joined among top-10 returnees by Grosse Pointe South senior Coalter Smith (tied for fourth) and Portage Central junior Will Anderson (tied for eighth). Smith also finished third as a sophomore and is a four-year starter. He shot a 70 at his Regional, and Caledonia senior Cam Poll (68) was the only LPD1 golfer to go lower last week. Joining Bridgeman, Poll and Smith among Regional champs were Grand Blanc junior Ranveer Ajimal, Sterling Heights Stevenson senior Justin McCown and Ann Arbor Pioneer junior Colin Flanders.
LP Division 2 at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West
Reigning champion: Flint Powers Catholic
2018 runner-up: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern
Top-ranked: 1. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, 2. DeWitt, 3. Ada Forest Hills Eastern.
Reigning champion Powers didn’t qualify for the Finals, and Forest Hills Northern will look to make the jump after finishing just three strokes behind the Chargers last season. FHN is seeking its first championship in this sport since winning Class C in 1983. DeWitt is playing for its fourth Finals title in 10 seasons after coming in eighth but only 21 strokes off the lead last spring. Forest Hills Eastern was 10th last year and is seeking its first title, having finished runner-up in 2014.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern: The Huskies have been hovering around a potential title, tying for fourth in 2016, eighth in 2017 and finishing second alone last season. They return their entire lineup after just missing out, and senior Andrew Kolar was third individually last season. Forest Hills Northern won its Regional at Gaylord Country Club by four strokes ahead of Forest Hills Eastern, led by senior Noah Kolar (71) finishing second individually.
DeWitt: The Panthers shot the lowest Regional score in Division 2 last week, 296 at Eldorado, to finish ahead of No. 9 Haslett by 20 strokes. Senior Charlie DeLong shot a 66 to finish first by two strokes as three DeWitt golfers placed among the top five. He tied for fourth individually last season and is the only senior among the team’s top five.
Ada Forest Hills Eastern: The Hawks tied for fourth in 2016, finished third in 2017 and then fell back to 10th last season, but should make a run at the top also returning all five starters from last year’s run. Senior Brad Smithson finished sixth individually a year ago and tied for third as a sophomore, and he won the Regional in Gaylord by five strokes with a 66.
Other individuals of note: This could be a special race with eight of last season’s top 12 individuals (top 10 with ties) set to play again this weekend including reigning champion Alex Jordan of Mason and reigning runner-up Nick Krueger of Spring Lake. Krueger, a senior, also tied for fifth as a sophomore before last season finishing two strokes behind Jordan, a senior now as well. Byron Center senior Tanner Moore (tied for fourth), Marshall junior Matt Flynn (ninth) and Gaylord senior Brendon Gouin (tied for 10th) also are back. Jordan, Ionia senior Tyler Hausserman and Mattawan senior Luke Pelak all broke 70 in winning Regional championships, and Farmington sophomore Tyler Kilmas and South Lyon East junior Jason Zobl also claimed titles two weeks ago.
LP Division 3 at Ferris State’s Katke Golf Course
Reigning champion: Hanover-Horton
2018 runner-up: Big Rapids
Top-ranked: 1. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, 2. Big Rapids, 3. Jackson Lumen Christi.
Big Rapids is seeking its first championship since 2008 and has been on the verge, finishing runner-up the last two seasons – and last year missing out on the title on a fifth-golfer tie-breaker. Reigning champion Hanover-Horton didn’t make the field this weekend, but the Cardinals this time must face NorthPointe Christian, last season’s Division 4 title winner. Meanwhile, Jackson Lumen Christi should be in the mix to add a sixth championship in 11 seasons.
Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian: After finishing Division 4 runner-up in 2017, NorthPointe took the next step last spring. Two starters return, including last season’s individual champion Erik Fahlen. The Mustangs shot a 308 last week at Pigeon Creek, tying No. 5. Grand Rapids West Catholic but claiming the Regional title on a fifth-golfer tie-breaker (No. 6 Grand Rapids South Christian also was in the field.). Junior Lance VanErmen, also a returning starter, led with a runner-up finish.
Big Rapids: The Cardinals also bring two starters back this weekend, reigning Division 3 individual champion Pierce Morrissey and Owen Seay, who tied for seventh in 2018. The pair of seniors took first and tied for third, respectively, at their Regional at A-Ga-Ming, Seay with junior teammate Trevor Woodard. Big Rapids shot a 301 to clear a field including No. 9 Elk Rapids and No. 10 Cheboygan by 26 strokes.
Jackson Lumen Christi: After winning the championship in 2017, the Titans came in fifth last year with a mostly new group. Four starters are back this time, including senior Tanner Schnell who tied for fourth last season and also played for the title-winning team two years ago. Lumen Christi shot a 314 to win the Regional at Cascades by seven strokes, finishing ahead of a field including No. 8 Leslie and No. 4 Napoleon. Junior Conor Spencer finished second and junior Matt Saunders sixth at the Regional – both also started last season.
Other individuals of note: St. Louis senior Grant Mills tied for ninth at last season’s Final and is the only other top-10 placer back at this tournament. He joined Morrissey among Regional winners last week, as did West Catholic junior Aaron Ryan, Constantine senior Brendon Patmalnieks, Hanover-Horton junior Jack Brockie and Grosse Ile junior Evan Johnson. Ryan shot a 69 for the division’s lowest score of the tournament round.
LP Division 4 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State
Reigning champion: Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian
2018 runner-up: Clarkston Everest Collegiate
Top-ranked: 1. Clarkston Everest Collegiate, 2. Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep, 3. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett.
After winning consecutive championships in 2016 and 2017, Everest Collegiate finished runner-up to NorthPointe Christian a year ago. As noted above, NorthPointe is playing in Division 3 this weekend, and Everest Collegiate is the favorite again. Hackett was fourth and Liggett fifth, respectively, at last season’s Final.
Clarkston Everest Collegiate: Two starters return from last season’s runner-up run, and senior Mitch Lowney finished fifth individually. The Mountaineers shot a 314 to win the Regional at Fountains by seven strokes over No. 3 Liggett. Lowney was the Regional individual champ and three Everest golfers finished among the top eight; senior Kevin Meehan, also a starter last year, placed third.
Kalamazoo Hackett: The Irish are seeking their first championship since 2013 and will make a run with their four leading scorers from the 2018 Final. All five of this weekend’s golfers placed among the top eight at the Regional at Milham Park as Hackett shot a division-best 308 to win by 45 strokes. Sophomore Ryan Chafty finished first and junior Will Verduzco and sophomore Tommy Keyte tied for second. Verduzco just missed the top 10 at last year’s Final but finished fifth in 2017.
Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett: The Knights are seeking their first Finals title in this sport since 1982 and made a jump last season to fifth from 13th in 2017. Two starters are back this weekend – junior Colin Degnore was second at last week’s Regional as three Liggett golfers finished among the top six with Everest Collegiate in the same field.
Other individuals of note: Clinton senior Austin Fauser tied for third last season, and he took first and Lowney was second at the 2017 Final. (Fauser also finished ninth as a freshman in 2016.) Frankfort senior Will Newbold tied for eighth last season and like Chafty, Lowney and Fauser won a Regional title last week. Manistee Catholic Central senior John Slivka and Marlette senior Alex Heussner also were Regional champs.
PHOTO: Big Rapids’ Pierce Morrissey watches one of his shots on the way to winning the LP Division 3 championship in 2018. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Self-Taught Eichhorn Launches into Elite
May 20, 2016
By Dennis Grall
Special for Second Half
ESCANABA – Hunter Eichhorn is not your typical young golfer. Instead of just pounding drives all over the course, he actually thinks his way around.
The Carney-Nadeau junior, who may be the best of a young core of golfers in the Upper Peninsula, loves to "strategize" his way to low scores. He fired a brilliant 5-under-par 67 on May 16 at Menominee Riverside Country Club, one of the peninsula's most demanding layouts.
He had a career-best 10-under 62 at Royal Scot Golf Club near Green Bay while competing on the Wisconsin Junior Golf Tour in 2015.
"The way he manages his game is quite incredible. He adjusts to the golf course and he adjusts to what the golf course is asking for," said Jacob Polfus, the C-N golf coach. Polfus is also the C-N basketball coach, and Eichhorn was a second-team all-conference selection in 2015-16.
Basketball was his primary sport as a youngster, then he dropped it for golf during grades 3-9 before joining the varsity basketball team the past three years. "I just started loving golf. I enjoy everything about it, the competition, being competitive with other players.
"I love to win and play against good people and beat them. I like meeting new people and making new friends I would never meet if I was not playing the game."
He got into golf with the urging of his grandfather, Steve Pipkorn, who would bring him to Hermansville Wild Pines Golf Course, a 9-hole course about 12 miles from home. Often he would spend the whole day there, getting picked up by his father, Brad, on Brad’s way home from work in Norway.
Escanaba golf coach Brian Robinette, one of only two people ever to give Eichhorn lessons, said those numerous early rounds at "a mom and pop course" were beneficial in those early years.
"He was able to make par and have birdie putts. He played hole after hole out there. It kind of launched his career, shooting good scores at an early age," said Robinette, a former state junior champion and Olivet College Sports Hall of Fame golfer.
Those rounds at Wild Pines were special, Eichhorn agreed. "I play by myself a lot. I can focus on it more," he said of those growing up rounds. He is a self-taught golfer and has never had a swing coach.
"I'm confident where I'm at, the way I do things," he said.
With extensive play on U.P. courses – his favorites are Iron Mountain Pine Grove and Harris Sweetgrass Golf Club – and on the Wisconsin Junior Tour, he has developed a solid game that compares well with the region's top adults. He plays in a Tuesday night men's league at Highland Golf Club, near Escanaba, and also gets into Friday evening adult matches there.
Eichhorn may only hit driver twice on some courses, knowing it is important to keep the ball in play. "I like strategizing more than just attacking it with driver," he said with a smile that comes from drives that went astray. "Strategizing is a big part of scoring, finding the right angles into greens. Just knowing what consequences can come out of the swing (with out-of-bounds or water looming on fairways).
"If you don't pull the shot off, it could cost you a shot or two. It is a constant game of learning from all situations. Just a bad thought can cost you."
Eichhorn pounds his drives 280 to 300 yards (a 7-iron flies about 190 yards) but acknowledges, "I hit plenty of shots off-line. I'll admit it." Because of those wayward balls, he said recovering from bad shots is probably the best part of his game, along with chipping and putting.
Polfus said "the biggest thing is he doesn't put pressure on to hit driver all the time. He can hit all the shots, and the way he can check it up from certain distances, it is amazing to watch him play. The way he has grown most is how he handles himself when he does hit a bad shot."
Eichhorn admits that wasn't always the case, especially by throwing clubs in his earlier years. "My parents were not thrilled," he said with a chuckle. As he gained experience and age, "I realized it doesn't help your game."
Polfus said Eichhorn's primary growth "is his attitude. He calms himself. You can see him smile more now (on the course). He understands you are going to make mistakes and see how you respond."
Robinette likens his playing style to the transformation seen in golf across the country. "I see very athletic kids who just aren't intimidated by anything. They are fearless," he said, citing PGA Tour standouts Rory McIlroy and Jason Day as examples of that mentality and approach.
"They look down the hole and see birdies everywhere. He (Eichhorn) is fearless. He thinks his way around a golf course very well. He has a good routine; he pays attention to all the details to not make mistakes. His fundamentals are very good. He swings pretty hard, but he is still under control. He doesn't miss the middle of the club face. His misses tend to be pin high."
With a year of high school remaining, he already has some big plans. He will play the Wisconsin Junior Golf Tour again this year along with U.P. junior events and will likely play in the Upper Peninsula Golf Association men's tournament in Sault Ste. Marie.
He played in last year's UPGA event in Marinette, Wis., and learned a lot from that experience. "The competition level was really high. You have to play at even a higher level than you think you can," he said.
Eichhorn also may try to qualify for the U.S. Junior Amateur. He has also received attention from college golf teams from Michigan State University, Marquette University and South Dakota State University, where the head coach is Upper Peninsula native Casey VanDamme.
He also has big plans after college. "I want to be a professional golfer. I want to be really, really good," he said. "It will take a lot of practice (something he does at a very high level). I'd like to be the best I can be by (age) 22 or 23. I want to give myself a chance to be good on the PGA Tour.
"It will obviously take a lot. I know it is a far-fetched goal, but it is something I am willing to work for. This will give me the reality check, and that is why I'm going to go to college (for a business degree)."
Robinette believes Eichhorn's passion for golf and strong work ethic will help him reach his goals. "The secret for him is in the dirt. He has probably hit more golf balls his age than anybody I've come across. Mike Nagy, maybe," Robinette said of the former Manistique standout who just completed a four-year golf career at the University of Tennessee.
"He (Eichhorn) is a student of the game. He has a very high golf IQ. This is not a social sport for him," Robinette added.
In addition to Eichhorn, the upcoming MHSAA U.P. Golf Finals at three locations will feature several other promising players. Others with excellent promise are freshman Nathan Rousseau of Escanaba, freshman Jordan Jurmu of Marquette, a participant of the chip, putt and drive national finals at Augusta National in April, and junior Bryce Douglas of Gladstone.
Two outstanding girls are freshman Paxton Johnson of Escanaba and sophomore Kaaren Liston of Houghton, who won the U.P. Division 1 title last year.
Denny Grall retired in 2012 after 39 years at the Escanaba Daily Press and four at the Green Bay Press-Gazette, plus 15 months for WLST radio in Escanaba; he served as the Daily Press sports editor from 1970-80 and again from 1984-2012. Grall was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and serves as its executive secretary. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Upper Peninsula.
PHOTOS: (Top) Carney-Nadeau's Hunter Eichhorn watches one of his shot during a tournament Wednesday at Irish Oaks Golf Course in Gladstone. (Middle) Eichhorn studies the putting line on No. 17 green at Irish Oaks. (Photos by Denny Grall.)