Raiders take firm grip on 2nd in GNC; 2nd in home invite

MEDFORD GOLF

Like the rest of the Great Northern Conference, the Medford Raiders haven’t been able to catch the Lakeland Thunderbirds early in the new golf season, but they are the one team that’s come relatively close.

Medford earned its third second-place finish in three GNC meets Tuesday with a score of 320 on the par-70 course at Tomahawk’s Inshalla Country Club. The Raiders were 18 strokes behind the TBirds, who nearly broke 300 with a team score of 302 and won their fourth straight meet to start the year.

Rhinelander made it three for three in third-place GNC finishes with a team score of 333, one shot ahead of Antigo. Northland Pines (365), Mosinee (375) and Tomahawk (381) were well off the pace.

The results nearly halfway through the GNC season have Lakeland with a perfect score of 21 points, Medford is three back with 18 and Rhinelander is third with 15.

Individually, Medford was led Tuesday by senior Caleb Heckel, who shot a 78 to place sixth. He was one shot ahead of teammates Zachary Hintz and Riley Viergutz, who joined Rhinelander’s Koldyn Gechas with 79s.

Heckel, who has scored in all three GNC meets, sits in sixth place in the individual standings with 11.5 points. He’s currently five points out of a top-five, first-team All-GNC spot.

Hintz added three points to get to five and into 11th place. Viergutz earned his first three league points of the spring.

Connor Lingen, who was in fifth place after two meets, did not add to his total Tuesday. He was part of a three-way for 14th place with a round of 84. Lucas Liske was 20th out of 34 golfers with an 89.

Kaeden Nomm of Lakeland shot a 1-under par 69 to take the meet’s top honors. He holds the individual lead through three meets with a near-perfect score of 29.5 points. He’s five ahead of Tuesday’s runner-up, Joey Volpentesta of Antigo, who shot a 74, one shot ahead of Lakeland’s Matt Haggart. Lakeland’s Cody Olson and Mosinee’s Jett Walters both shot 77s to tie for fourth place.

The GNC teams also met Thursday at Medford’s Black River Golf Course. On a gray, raw, windy afternoon, Lakeland posted a team score of 316 to beat Medford’s 334 by 18 strokes, a much closer margin than the 32 shots Lakeland won by in meet one at Mosinee. Rhinelander (355), Mosinee (364), Antigo (376), Northland Pines (396) and Tomahawk (462) rounded out the team standings.

Nomm and his teammate Jack Rubo were the day’s top scorers with 78s on their two rounds on the par-36, nine-hole course. After a four-way tie for third at 80 between Haggart, Volpentesta, Olson and Rhinelander’s Brody Kowieski, Lingen placed seventh for Medford with a solid round of 81, while Hintz and Heckel tied Walters for eighth with 82s. Hintz birdied the eighth hole in his first round and the seventh hole in round two. Heckel had a birdie on hole two in his first round.

Viergutz shot an 89 that included a birdie on seven, while Liske was Medford’s fifth scorer with a 99.

GNC play won’t resume until Tuesday when Rhinelander’s Northwood Golf Course will serve as the host. The North- land Pines meet has now been pushed back to next Thursday, May 12.

League play will continue May 13 at Lakeland and end May 17 at Antigo.

Medford was at the Nekoosa Invitational Wednesday and also will make its annual trip to the Stanley-Boyd Invitational on Saturday, which is played at Cadott’s Whispering Pines Golf Course.

Medford Invite

The Raiders added yet another second- place finish to their list for 2022 on Friday during their own invitational, also held at Black River Golf Course. They made their best run at Lakeland yet in this meet, finishing just nine strokes behind the T-Birds with a score of 326.

Lakeland II and Rhinelander tied for third with 352s, two shots ahead of Antigo. Ashland was sixth at 398, ahead of Prentice (409), Medford II (443) and Marathon (451).

Individually, Lingen made a heck of a run at Nomm, coming up one shot short with a 2-over-par 74 and placing second out of 44 golfers. Lingen’s round included 11 pars and birdies on holes four, one (10) and seven (16). The Raiders put their five varsity players in the top 15. Hintz had a solid round of 80, good for sixth place. He had 10 pars and two birdies, which came on three and seven (16). Heckel got the last top-10 spot with his score of 84, that included a birdie on hole nine. Viergutz and Liske were part of a five-way tie for 13th with their 88s.

Brayden Stelzel led the Medford II team by carding a 98. Connor Gowey shot a 107, while Nick Cipar, Charlie Kleist and Aidan Ball all shot 119s while golfing in a varsity setting.

Gray Wagner of Lakeland II and Volpentesta tied for third with 75s and Olson was fifth at 77.

MACC Fund

On Saturday, Medford finished ninth out of 12 teams that were assigned to the Club at Lac La Belle in Oconomowoc during the 16th annual MACC Fund Invitational, hosted by Hartland Arrowhead. The charity invitational benefits the MACC Fund (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer). Play is also held at Erin Hills Golf Course. The tournament was expected to surpass the $1 million mark in overall funds raised by the tournament since its inception.

Hintz led Medford with an 11-over-par 82, which tied him for 16th among the 48 golfers at Lac La Belle. He tied for 16th place. He birdied the par-4 16th, parred seven holes and had just two double bogeys. Heckel tied for 24th with his consistent 85 that included just one double bogey. The rest were pars and bogeys.

Lingen was part of a six-way tie for 29th with his 88. Liske tied for 40th at 93.

Eau Claire Memorial won the team title with a score of 307, well ahead of De Pere (325), Ashwaubenon (327), Kettle Moraine Lutheran (330) and Arrowhead (333). Madison Memorial was sixth at 338, followed by Monona Grove (345), Pewaukee (347), Medford (348), Nicolet (361), Black River Falls (386) and Lomira (403).

Ashwaubenon’s Sam Hurley was the individual champion with a 1-over-par 71 that included a hole-in-one on hole 4. Parker Etzel and Will Schlitz of Eau Claire Memorial shot 75s and Madison Memorial’s Isaac Schmidt was fourth with a 76.

Raider golfer Connor Lingen tees off on the eighth hole at the Black River Golf Course during Friday’s Medford Invitational. Lingen nearly won the individual title, shooting a 2-over-par 74 to fall one shot behind Lakeland’s Kaeden Nomm.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS