Golf into the swing of things

Marathon junior golfer Noah Gage is off to a great start this season, after winning the Medford meet on Friday and placing third at Whistling Straights in Sheboygan on Monday.

Gage shot an individual low score of 77 in 18 holes at Black River Golf Course in Medford, and he then shot a third-best score of 80 at Whistling Straights. Luke Jacobson, now in his third season as Marathon’s head golf coach, said it’s remarkable how well Gage is already playing on courses early this season, considering he’s still recovering from a major injury this winter.

“We are very happy for Noah considering a couple months ago, we did not know if he could even golf this season,” Jacobson said. “Noah tore his ACL and had surgery in February. He has worked hard to rehab and be ready for the golf season. To be medalist in Medford and take 3rd in his first two meets is a testament to his mental toughness.

“Golf is a game that takes tremendous confidence and focus, so for Noah to get through the mental hurdle of trusting his knee and still shooting low scores is truly impressive. I am incredibly proud of this early success, and him getting to this point is a huge jolt of energy to our program.”

Marathon took fifth place out of eight teams competing in Medford. Ben Robbins placed 18th with a 95, Alex Pawlowicz 25th with 101, Camryn Sapinski 38th with 117 and Max Buchberger 39th with 124.

The Red Raiders placed 13th on a tough Whistling Straights course, which has hosted PGA championships in the past. Robbins took 11th place with 94 and Pawlowicz was 19th with 99. Max Buchberger shot 103 and John Stoffel 107.

Coach Jacobson is hoping for a good 2021 season, after COVID-19 shut down the 2020 season.

“The pandemic has been tough for everybody, but it was very difficult to lose an entire season,” Jacobson said. “We had an experienced group of golfers coming back with seven kids who have played in a varsity match. Now with the seniors gone, and Dawson Lang graduating early to join the military, I only have Noah (Gage) and Ben (Robbins) who have any experience, and that was two years ago. They were able to play over the summer on their own, and Noah played in tournaments throughout the state. It is a year where we need to develop experience very quickly, and do so in a very condensed season.”

The Red Raiders will again compete in the Marawood Conference for golf, in which it last won the conference title in 2018. Besides Marathon, only Prentice, Wausau Newman and Wisconsin Rapids Assumption have teams competing in the conference this season. Chequamegon lost its golf program and Hurley is attempting to get its golf program back on its feet. Nonetheless, coach Jacobson likes his team’s chances this season.

“I believe we will compete for a conference title this season,” Jacobson said. “It is tough to know after losing a year, but we have one of the best golfers in the area in Noah Gage and Ben Robbins is a great competitor and athlete too. We have a number of golfers who will be competing for the last three starting spots on our team, and I plan to work in a lot of kids early on to see what our best fit is. John Stoffel is playing a lot of golf and he has really improved, and I have a number of younger golfers who have a chance to break through as well this season.”

Brett Kage is Marathon’s assistant golf coach this season, but Bill Knetter and Ryan Winkler also help out.