Spring Lake Ace with Basketball Name Showing Off Buckets of Golf Game
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
June 7, 2022
His last name may be associated with basketball, but Spring Lake senior Evan McDermott is making a name for himself on the golf course.
McDermott’s uncle, Greg, is the longtime men’s basketball coach at Creighton University (Neb.). Greg’s son and Evan’s cousin, Doug, was a three-time, All-American basketball player for his father at Creighton, who recently completed his eighth season in the NBA, currently with the San Antonio Spurs.
Evan McDermott is putting his 6-foot-4 frame and athletic ability to use on the golf course, where the slim bomber has emerged as one of the state’s best players.
“For a long time, I thought I was going to be a basketball player, because that’s obviously big in our family,” said Evan, a 3.9-GPA student who did play basketball for the Lakers. “But then I fell in love with golf.”
McDermott captured the medalist honor with a 3-under par 69 at last week’s Lower Peninsula Division 2 Regional at Lincoln Hills in Ludington, helping the Lakers to the team championship.
He and his teammates are putting in the work and hoping for a similar result at this weekend’s Division 2 Final at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University in nearby Allendale.
McDermott can’t think of a better place to conclude his high school career because, outside of the course he grew up playing (Terra Verde in Nunica) and the Lakers’ home course (Spring Lake Country Club), it’s the golf course that he has played the most.
It also helps that one of his biggest mentors in the sport during his high school career happens to be GVSU men’s golf coach Gary Bissell, who is Director of Instruction at The Meadows.
And, finally, he and his teammates have good memories from their last tournament at the links-style course. Spring Lake won the Gull Lake Invitational at The Meadows on May 19, a tournament which featured 11 of the state’s top 16 teams in Division 2, and McDermott placed second overall with a 71.
First-year Spring Lake coach Dan Start thinks the combination of a familiar course and an experienced team – with a leader like McDermott – could help the Lakers improve on last year’s eighth-place Finals finish.
“We have played three competitive rounds at The Meadows already this year, so that’s a big plus,” said Start. “All of our guys have the ability to score well, but I like what I saw at Regionals. We had struggles early, but the guys battled and battled and got themselves back on track.”
Max Brown has emerged as a solid No. 2 man for the Lakers, coming up big at Regionals with a 75. Senior cousins Dylan Lisman and RJ Lisman hold down the third and fourth positions, while junior Conrad Bush and senior Braiden McClain have battled for the fifth playing spot.
But without question, McDermott is the leader of the Lakers.
McDermott uses his long, flexible frame to crank drives approaching 300 yards – regularly giving him an edge over his competition. He considers ball-striking his biggest strength, and in recent weeks he’s been heating up on and around the greens.
“I really played well at Regionals. I played the last 11 holes four-under in some big winds,” said McDermott, 18, who has an older sister, Mia, who attends Notre Dame. “I’m just going to try and keep that going at state and not over-complicate things. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”
McDermott, a four-year varsity golfer for SL, first made a name for himself by making a run to the finals at the 2020 Michigan Junior State Amateur at TPC Michigan in Dearborn, the summer before his junior year. He then placed third at last year’s LP Division 2 Final, shooting a 68 in his final round.
This spring, he has picked up where he left off as the steady leader of the Lakers. McDermott powered his team to the Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue title, with the highlight a sizzling 31 at SLCC in a conference jamboree.
“Evan has amazing physical skills, but he also has the mental toughness – he’s steady Eddie,” explained Start. “You combine that with his work ethic, and the sky’s the limit. He could be a professional golfer.”
He will take the first step in that direction in August, when he leaves West Michigan to play golf and study mechanical engineering at the University of Nebraska.
McDermott has roots in the Heartland as his father, Marty, grew up in Cascade, Iowa, and later was the head men’s basketball coach at Lake Superior State (where he met his wife and Evan’s mother, Rachel) and the University of Dubuque. He has served as the athletic director at Muskegon Community College for the past 15 years.
Evan McDermott said he was “blown away” by his visit to Lincoln, Neb., in the fall, especially attending the Cornhuskers’ night football game against Michigan.
“It was an incredible atmosphere, and it just felt like home,” McDermott explained. “With my dad’s family from down there, I’ve spent a fair amount of time there growing up. I’m used to the cornfields and the wind and the heat.”
Tom Kendra worked 23 years at The Muskegon Chronicle, including five as assistant sports editor and the final six as sports editor through 2011. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Muskegon, Oceana, Mason, Lake, Oceola, Mecosta and Newaygo counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Spring Lake’s Evan McDermott unloads on a drive. (Middle) McDermott will continue his academic and golf careers at University of Nebraska. (Photos courtesy of the Spring Lake boys golf program.)
D3 Final Filled with Close Finishes
May 30, 2014
By Keith Shelton
Special to Second Half
HYDE — Two superb players with two scorching scores. Two palpitating playoff holes. One winner.
Those were the stakes at Thursday’s Upper Peninsula Division 3 Final at Highland Golf Club.
Cedarville senior Sam Eberts and Carney-Nadeau freshman Hunter Eichhorn both came in even at 71, shooting identical scores of 36 on the front nine and 35 on the back.
Neither hung around the scoreboard in the 90 minutes that followed as waves of golfers checked in. There were many good scores on the day, including a trio of 75’s. That score would have been good enough to win medalist honors in each of the past two U.P. Division 3 Finals, but not Thursday.
Inside the clubhouse, another nail-biter ensued as scores from Cedarville and Painesdale-Jeffers came in. When the dust settled, it was the Jeffers Jets by a slim margin, taking the U.P. title for the third consecutive year with a score of 314. Both teams had four golfers all at 83 or under, but Stephen Butina and Tyler Bailey’s dual 75’s were enough to put the Jets over the top. Cedarville was second at 316 followed by Carney-Nadeau at 337, Rudyard 341 and Munising 347.
Eichhorn, the young phenom from Carney, made a splash in 2013 as an eighth grader when he was runner-up on this same course. Putting together a card that was four strokes better and staying remarkably consistent throughout, he nearly still found himself in the same boat.
Eichhorn was the tactician, displaying a wealth of ability and golf knowledge. He had a seemingly large advantage from the tee box, frequently drawing “oohs” and “ahs” with his long drives of well over 200 yards.
He looked ahead on fairways with a pair of binoculars, measured distance and tested the wind with handfuls of sand, using every available piece of information to his advantage, tactics he said he picked up from watching professionals in the PGA.
“I see what they do, read the greens, test the wind, how they scout holes. I learn from watching the pros,” Eichhorn said.
On the playoff, both competitors went in confidently, playing in front of a large gallery. There was Eberts, appearing relaxed, smiling throughout and celebrating his small victories, and the stoic Eichhorn, who also enjoyed the crowd.
“It always pumps me up when there’s a crowd. The more that watch me, the better I do,” he said. “I tried to stay calm, but there’s always nerves on a playoff hole. I just tried to stay as calm as possible.”
Each appeared to make a costly error during the playoff. Eberts drove hard to the left from the No. 10 tee box, falling just out of bounds, but he recovered incredibly well. His next shot went sailing back on course and landed just on the inside edge of the green, where he two-putted for par to force a second playoff hole.
On No. 11, Eichhorn drove too hard to the right and landed amongst a cluster of trees. His next shot banked off the bark but landed in a favorable position, where had a clear shot to the green. Once there, he two-putted for a bogey. Eberts meanwhile, was in position to match with a short putt. He took his time, lined up his shot, and turned and exhaled when his ball went trickling past the hole.
Thanks to Eichhorn and Eberts however, both of their schools received a boost with their scores of 71. Carney-Nadeau finished with possibly the best MHSAA Final score in school history, coming in third at 337. For Eichhorn the team finish was more meaningful than the medalist honor.
“It was nice to win, but nice to finish third and see my team play well and compete with some of the better schools around,” he said.
The remarkably deep Jets ruled the day. Identical twins Alex and Christopher Outinen capped their team’s scores with a respective 81 and 83 on a beautiful, clear and sunny day with temperatures in the mid-70s, a welcome change from the weather Jeffers had to deal with throughout most of the season.
“We had a rough start with the weather and only having five meets under our belt,” said coach Jason Koski. “But as the year went on, the scores improved. We were in a real competitive West-PAC conference with Houghton, Calumet and Hancock. We only won one meet, but the level of competition helped — Houghton won the Division 1 Finals.
“This year, after winning the last two years, the kids had a little more confidence. I wouldn’t say they were overconfident, but they had that confidence to them this year.”
The Jets also exhibited another important quality in keeping a level head in the game of golf.
“They’re mentally strong,” Koski said. “Whenever they’d have a rough first nine, they’d pull it together on the second nine. As an example, Christopher (Outinen) had a 46 on the first nine today and ended up pulling in an 83. I always tell the kids, don’t be throwing your clubs, even when you feel like it. You forget it, and move on.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Stephen Butina of Painesdale-Jeffers holds the Upper Peninsula Division 3 championship trophy with his teammates, including, from left; Jacob Zerast, Alex Outinen, Tyler Bailey, Butina and Christopher Outinen on Thursday at Highland Golf Club. Painesdale-Jeffers shot 314 to win its third consecutive U.P. title. (Middle) Hunter Eichhorn of Carney-Nadeau watches his drive on the second playoff hole, No. 11 at Highland Golf Club. (Photos by Keith Shelton.)