Some highlights and some areas to improve following season-opening Medford Invite

Every varsity golfer had his good holes and shots he’d like to have back during Friday’s season-opening Medford Invitational held at Black River Golf Course.

On a mostly gray, cool but dry late April afternoon, the Raiders posted a team score of 377 to start the season, which put them in a third-place tie with GNC rival Mosinee in the eight-school, 10-team field.

Even with some new names in the lineup, the Lakeland Thunderbirds picked up right where they left off when they finished second in the state in Division 2 in 2019. They won the meet with a solid score of 333, 32 shots ahead of runner-up Wisconsin Rapids.

Marathon, led by meet medalist Noah Gage who shot a 5-over-par 77, placed fifth at 390, three shots ahead of the Rhinelander Hodags. Ashland (407), Lakeland II (414), Stanley-Boyd (417) and Medford II (472) rounded out the field.

Aided by a birdie on the par-4, 286-yard eighth hole and a par on the par-3, 143-yard ninth in his second trip through the course, Raider junior Caleb Heckel ended his first day in Medford’s number-one spot with a 20-over-par 92, which was good for 13th place in the individual standings. Heckel, who shot 46s on both rounds, parred the ninth hole both times and he added pars on the fourth hole and on his second time on the first hole.

Freshman Connor Lingen debuted in the numberfour slot, but he wound up being the Raiders’ secondbest golfer of the day with a 93 with rounds of 44 and 49. Lingen’s day included birdies on the par-4 eighth and second holes and three pars. A rough patch on six and seven during his second round was all that kept him from possibly staying in the upper 80s.

Senior Colton Gowey also made his varsity golf debut. As the Raiders’ number-three golfer, he shot a 94 with rounds of 48 and 46, parring five of his 18 holes, including the 470-yard, par-5 fifth hole during his first round. Gowey carded six and unders on 16 of his 18 holes.

Sophomore Lucas Liske, playing in the two spot, got off to a great start by hitting a 25-foot birdie putt on the 320-yard opening hole. He posted three birdies during his round of 98 (50-48) with the other two coming in round two on holes five and nine. His nemesis was hole three, which bit him both times through.

Senior Isaac Dittrich opened the year with a 103 (4756) that included pars on holes one and two and a birdie on the 252-yard, par-4 fourth hole in his first round.

Freshman Riley Viergutz led Medford II with a solid opening score of 102 (52-50). Senior Sam Liske shot a 112 (58-54). Freshman Noah Machon and sophomore Nick Cipar both carded 129s and freshman Isaac Schaefer shot a 146.

Lakeland’s Kaeden Nomm, the 2019 Great Northern Conference individual runner-up, was second Friday as well, finishing two shots behind Gage with a 79. T-Bird Cody Olson was third with an 80, while Rhinelander’s Garrett Kulhanek and Dominic Fetterer of Wisconsin Rapids tied for fourth with 85s.

Weather wins

Mother Nature took a dent out of what was expected to be a busy first week of the season. Monday’s Ashland Invitational was postponed and has been rescheduled for Friday at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday’s Marshfield Invitational was also postponed and has not yet been rescheduled. Medford will start Great Northern Conference competition today, Thursday, as Lakeland serves as the host for the first of this year’s seven league meets. Play starts at 3 p.m. at the Minocqua Country Club.

Tomahawk will host the second GNC meet Tuesday at Inshalla Country Club. The GNC teams will be at Mosinee’s Indianhead Golf Course on May 6.