FORE: Harbor Springs Ace Back for More
October 9, 2020
By Tom Spencer
Special for Second Half
Fore!
Golf etiquette dictates that golfers should always yell "fore" upon hitting a shot that carries the risk of hitting another golfer. As long as one yells "fore," the golfer did all she or he could to warn the other golfers.
Golfers also are supposed to convey this message to others in as polite a manner as possible.
“Four” though is the polite warning golfers should heed as they participate in the Division 4 golf championship at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers West on Oct. 17.
The school record-holder from Harbor Springs is not likely to exclaim “four” – but she is looking to at least claim “four” — as in consecutive MHSAA Finals championships.
Jacque O’Neill won the individual title last fall as a junior. She’ll be looking to repeat that feat as well as help the Rams win a third team championship in four seasons after they finished Division 4 runners-up in 2019. O’Neill, now a senior, was a freshman on the 2017 Division 4 champion Harbor team and a sophomore on the 2018 championship squad.
Shouting the word “fore” once usually suffices, although it's acceptable to shout it repeatedly if the shot is sailing toward another group of golfers.
No one would blame O’Neill is she shouted four repeatedly.
But be clear. O’Neill isn’t sounding this warning. Her golfing is.
In addition to seeking a fourth straight team or individual Finals championship, she is likely to be selected to the Division 4 all-state team for a fourth-straight year. She is coming off a third-straight Regional individual championship.
Her hopes for a team title this October lie in four as well. Harbor has a pretty good idea whom of its golfers will fill the top three scoring spots. The fourth will go to one of the newer players. The fourth may make the difference as the Regional champions seek another Finals championship.
“My goal is certainly to win another state championship, but I wouldn’t say that I feel a lot of pressure,” O’Neill said. “I’m just looking at it as another chance to show my ability, and hopefully break my new record.
“Any nerves I feel after that usually changes to excitement, and it is one of my favorite feelings.”
O’Neill put her name in history books this fall. She shot a school-record 73 at the Cheboygan Country Club.
“She works for everything,” said her coach Pete Kelbel. “She practices all the time.
“If she plays a round and her putting his bad, guess where she is practicing ... on the putting green.”
Kelbel is taking the Rams to their eighth-straight Finals. He’s won two titles with his record-setting senior’s older sister, Calli O’Neill. Calli, now on the golf team at Aquinas College, and Jacque have benefited from strong family support and three golf professionals, one of whom is especially closely tied.
Brian O’Neal, the girls’ father, is a golf pro. He was once named to Golf Digest’s “Best Teachers” list in Michigan. Jacque has received guidance from another golf pro, Shaun Bezilla, Harbor Point’s head golf professional and director of instruction. And, her high school coach, Kelbel, is a golf pro at Walloon Lake Country Club.
“I want to express my extreme gratitude for being a part of such an amazing program with such great teammates,” the younger O’Neill said. “Being on the golf team these past four years has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I am very excited about my next chapter. But it is very hard to say goodbye to this one.
“I have met so many amazing people, and I have such great memories,” she continued. “So thank you to everyone who has made this journey so great. I also want to thank Shaun Bezilla for helping me get my game to where it is today along with Pete Kelbel for all of his help in making me the player that I am today. As well as everyone at Boyne Highlands for their support. I would not be where I am today without the help from these people and many more.”
As she prepares for another Final, she is focused on all the family support she receives.
“Calli was one of my teammates in the past, and she has always pushed me to work harder and practice more,” Jacque noted. “She has definitely helped me fall in love with the game of golf because it is something that we love to do together.
“My dad has helped me develop my game throughout the years and pushed me to work harder,” she went on. “My mom, Connie, is my biggest supporter and comes to all my matches. She is always encouraging me. Having a family that all loves golf certainly helps! My extended family has also always encouraged me and helped me along the way, which means the world to me.”
Harbor Springs athletic director Anna Rigby is proud of the golf program’s history. She is looking for another good result at this month’s Finals.
“I've developed an incredible sense of pride watching the program be so successful year after year,” she said. “For Jacque to consistently achieve that level of success in a sport like golf speaks volumes to her fortitude and commitment to the game.
“I'm feeling good about what we'll see from her in the Finals again this year.”
Kelbel has his own “fore” warning for everyone. Although it is really more of a fact of the matter.
“Jacque can’t get enough golf,” he said. “She has kept growing and getting stronger throughout the year and improved her strength as swimmer.
“She’d play if you tied her up like a mummy,” he continued. “She just deals with it and she wants to shoot a school record every time she plays.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTO: Harbor Springs’ Jacque O’Neill fires an approach during the 2019 Lower Peninsula Division 4 Final at Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
East Kentwood Ace Finishes at 4th Final
October 20, 2015
By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
KENTWOOD – Mackenzie Keenoy walked off the golf course for the final time as a high school golfer when she competed as an individual at Saturday's MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final.
The East Kentwood senior standout didn’t play as well as she had envisioned. However, the 17-year-old had no regrets about her last tournament that was played amid less-than-ideal conditions at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University.
“The wind was crazy on the first day and it was cold, and it started snowing for most of the second day,” Keenoy said. “The wind never stopped blowing, and my ball never wanted to go on the greens. That’s how my career ended, but it’s OK. I didn’t do as well as I thought I was going to, but I’m pretty positive about it and now I’m ready for the next step.”
Keenoy struggled to a 91 in her opening round, but recovered to shoot a respectable final-round 83. Her 174 total wasn’t among the top 10, but it didn’t take away from the banner high school career she enjoyed during an incredible four-year run.
Keenoy became one of the catalysts in the resurrection of the East Kentwood program. She took part in four MHSAA Finals – three with her team.
The Falcons placed in the top 10 at the Finals three consecutive years, sparked by the talents of Keenoy and spring graduate Sarah White. As a junior last season, Keenoy carded a top-10 individual finish to help lead the team to the program’s first MHSAA Finals championship – a resounding 22-stroke victory that she will forever cherish.
“It was awesome,” Keenoy recalled. “We knew we had a good shot going in, and after the first day we didn’t even look at the scoreboard. We didn’t want to know. We went out the second day and just worked our hardest, and we knew after the front nine that we had it. It was super exciting, especially because all the seniors were graduating.”
The Falcons didn’t have a chance to defend their title this season. Keenoy was the lone senior after heavy graduation losses left the Falcons with an inexperienced and young squad.
Still, Keenoy shined as the team’s No. 1 golfer. She won six tournaments, including the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red midseason and postseason tournaments, and emerged as the top player in the Grand Rapids area.
Keenoy fired a 75 at her MHSAA Regional to qualify for the Final as an individual.
“I just wanted to do my best and be there for my team because they weren’t there,” Keenoy said. “It was different not having any of my teammates there and warming up by myself. I would’ve much rather been there with my team, but I was just happy to represent East Kentwood at the state finals this year.”
East Kentwood girls golf coach Alex Giarmo was proud of Keenoy’s ability to persevere at the Final after a rough first day.
“We’ve been through a lot together and it was cool to do it one more time with her,” Giarmo said. “We had a lot of fun, and she never got down. Crazy things can happen in golf, but there was never a time when I thought that this was going to blow up. She executed really well on Day 2, and could’ve shot really low if not for a couple bad bounces.”
Overall this fall, Keenoy owned a scoring average of 78.1 for 18 holes and 36 strokes for nine.
“I won every tournament I played except for Regionals and the Finals, so I met every single goal,” Keenoy said. “I went out there and played for my team every day and worked hard at practice. With our team being so young, I wanted to be a role model for them.”
Keenoy embraced her role as a mentor to her younger teammates. She preached to them about work ethic and what it would take to achieve their individual goals.
“I loved it,” she said. “They didn’t know what to expect, so I tried to help them as much as I could. I told them, ‘This is what you have to do, you have to work hard to get where you want to be.’ I showed them how hard I worked the past three years, and this is where it got me.
“They all want to be great players, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for them next year.”
Giarmo said Keenoy’s experience and tutelage were important contributors to the team’s growth.
“She was a big help, and when you have a senior leader that has been through that many battles, it really helps your team look more mature,” he said. “It was a tight-knit team, and she did a great job leading them through moments of uncertainty. She had a phenomenal year, and she really embraced that No. 1 role. It was nice to see her get wins, and she was very reliable. That’s what you want in your No. 1 golfer.”
Keenoy, whose best attribute is her putting, is taking her talents to college. She recently committed to the University of Findlay in Ohio.
Keenoy chose the Oilers, who competed in the Division II National Tournament in the spring, after also considering Wayne State and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
“I’m really happy that I made that decision, and I liked the atmosphere of the whole place,” said Keenoy, who’s already been accepted into the nursing program. “It’s very much like Grand Rapids, and it’s the kind of place that I was looking for to go. It was the perfect fit for me, and I’m really excited.”
With her high school career finished, Keenoy is eager to reach her potential in the upcoming years.
“I’m looking forward to the future,” she said. “I worked my butt off to get here and that hard work has paid off. I’m excited now to transition from being a Falcon to an Oiler.”
Dean Holzwarth covered primarily high school sports for the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years and more recently served as sports editor of the Ionia Sentinel and as a sports photojournalist for WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Mackenzie Keenoy putts during Saturday’s second round of the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final. (Middle) Keenoy, hoisting the trophy, poses with her teammates and coaches after last season’s championship win. (Below) Keenoy drives a shot at The Meadows at GVSU. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)