St Ignace Stays Course, Surges to Win
June 1, 2017
By Adam Niemi
Special for Second Half
IRON RIVER — Claudette Brown couldn’t help but hold back tears Thursday.
But the fourth-year coach had good reason to feel emotional. Her first class of seniors on the St. Ignace boys golf team had just won the Upper Peninsula Division 2 Final title at George Young Golf Course.
Having coached them since their freshman year, Brown said the team overcame a challenging course for the win, highlighted by Carter Tallaire’s 80. St. Ignace’s 336 edged Iron River West Iron County (346) for the title.
“It was a very good day. They worked hard,” Brown said before pausing and choking back tears. “We had some struggles this season. We had some issues with some kids, so we had to change things up before we came. But they pulled it off, and they came through. I have three seniors this year, and it’s going to be hard to let them go. They’re pretty special. It’s good.”
West Iron County coach Mark Martini said he was impressed by St. Ignace’s ability to navigate the course. His team had played George Young every day the previous week, and the greens played differently each time.
“I thought that St. Ignace played really well for the conditions with the spring we’ve had,” Martini said. “My guys, for the most part, freshmen and a sophomore; I thought that was a good finish for us placing second. The scores were really quite good for all the situations that we’ve had all year weather-wise.”
Brown said the course presented unique challenges, given that her team last played it as freshmen, and the team also traveled four and a half hours prior to competing. She listed off the features of the course that made it difficult for her team.
“Just the greens are fast, pin placement, keeping it straight,” Brown said. “It gets a little narrow on a couple holes. Dog legs are a little challenging at times, some water holes.”
Yet Tallaire’s 80 just edged an 82 by Norway’s Brad Schalow and West Iron County’s Noah Thomson. Tallaire said he struggled with his short game throughout the day.
“It was a little rough. I didn’t putt too well, and I didn’t hit as many fairways as I wanted to either,” Tallaire said. “For the most part, the course played well too; it was nice. I’ve played very well before today. I shot three or four rounds under 80. It’s a tough golf course. It plays long, it plays nice, it was difficult. I’ll take an 80 for how I was playing.
“Under a hundred yards, I just couldn’t get anything going. I’d get it up, and then I’d have to chip and two-putt. I three-putted a couple times. Anything under a hundred yards, it was rough.”
Kody Rickley placed fourth for St. Ignace with an 83, and teammate Andy Metz was sixth with an 85.
Trevor Tchida’s 86 paced Hancock, which did not qualify for a team score.
Newberry finished third with a team score of 371. Ethan Edwards carded a team-low 88 to take eighth overall. Crystal Falls Forest Park (384) took fourth and was led by Riley Hendrickson’s 92.
Brown said part of the challenge for teams is coming from smaller courses that they frequently play to compete for a U.P. title at a course not only bigger, but more demanding in various ways. But the team was confident coming into the day, she said.
“We come from a little nine-hole course, so it’s hard, but it’s a great challenge,” Brown said. “We go down and golf in Gaylord a lot, and this year even West Branch. They get a lot of experience playing the tougher courses, so I think that helps us prepare for the UPs.”
Full results will be linked when available.
PHOTOS: (Top) A player tees off during the Upper Peninsula Division 2 Finals on Thursday. (Middle) Norway’s Brad Schalow sends a putt on the way to finishing individual runner-up. (Photos by Adam Niemi.)
Wykons Follow Bociek on Dominating Run
May 30, 2018
By Dennis Grall
Special for Second Half
NORWAY – Trey Bociek found a pretty efficient way to get around Oak Crest Golf Course here Wednesday.
The sophomore simply played bombs away off the tee, pounding his drives some 280 to 300 yards with deadly accuracy over the rolling, tree-lined 5,903 yards. He posted a career-best 74 to help his Iron River West Iron County teammates capture the Upper Peninsula Division 2 boys championship.
Bociek was the medalist and finished three shots ahead of teammate Nathan Thomson, whose brother Noah was fourth with 80. Trevor Tchida of Hancock was third at 79, while Norway's Evan Anderson was fifth with 81.
Bociek also plays hockey, for Kingsford under the co-op program. He golfs from the right side but is a lefty with a hockey stick as a center. Hockey is his favorite sport.
He struggled at the start, with a string of three bogeys before getting three birdies to close out the front nine. He had two birdies and seven pars on the back.
"The first birdie (on hole 2 following par on the short dogleg left opening hole) started me off," he said. "I got into it and had a good pace the rest of the way."
While some players said the greens were slow, Bociek was happy with the speed. "I like them that way because I can hit the ball harder," he said, adding he also was solid with his approach wedge shots.
Playing at George Young Golf Course in Gaastra, south of Iron River, has been helpful to his development because its tree-lined fairways and large greens.
Bociek said he was focused on his game of golf. "I was not worrying about anybody else," he said. "I blocked everybody out and did my thing."
Bociek pointed out the Wykons have three sophomores and two freshmen, which should bode well for the future. Coach Mark Martini agreed with Bociek that the Wykons should continue to contend.
"They don't realize this opportunity doesn't come along that often in life," he said of potentially establishing a dynasty.
Martini said Wednesday's success actually began around Easter when he sent a text to his players "to get ready for the train and the U.P. and we are going to win. We talked about it all year.
"They played like this all the time. They practice well, they listen well," he added, indicating the Wykons did not use a surprising runner-up finish at the conference finals as incentive.
The Wykons also won U.P. titles in 2003, 2008 and 2015.
PHOTOS: (Top) Iron River West Iron County handily captured the Upper Peninsula Division 2 boys golf championship May 30 at Norway’s Oak Crest Golf Course. The Wykons finished with 315 strokes, 29 fewer than runner-up Norway. The team is comprised of, from left, Trey Bociek, Brayden Nelson, Noah Thomson, Peyton Williams, Nate Thomson and coach Mark Martini. (Middle) Bryce Bowerman of Munising chips onto the 16th green. (Photos by Dennis Grall.)