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the New Lenox Patriot | October 18, 2018 | 51
Boys Golf
Curran finishes second at state tournament behind SWSC foe
Managing the
course the key
to sophomore’s
3-under finish
James Sanchez, Editor
The 112-man field at the
3A IHSA state tournament
had to hit the rewind button
after Day 1.
Bad weather in the opening
round on Friday, Oct.
12, forced IHSA officials to
suspend play and start fresh
with a one-day tournament
the following day.
“The first day was brutal,”
Lincoln-Way Central coach
Ryan Pohlmann said. “For
the kids, No. 1, it was cold.
I don’t think it got above
40 degrees the first day. It
was snowing hard for about
45 minutes to an hour. The
greens were pretty coated to
where when guys were putting,
the ball was picking up
snow. It was quite an adventure.”
Scores from Day 1 at The
Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington
did not count. Some
golfers completed as many
as 15 holes before play suspended.
Knights No. 1 golfer
Sean Curran was 12 holes
in when play was stopped.
He was in a comfortable
position in 14th place, three
strokes behind the leader.
Pohlmann said Curran
never felt rattled one bit
about having to start over.
“He kind of has that laid
back demeanor and personality,
which is good for
a golfer, but he felt like he
played well the first day and
put himself in a good position,”
Pohlmann said. “For
him, he looked at it as a
one-day tournament, which
gives him as good a shot as
anybody in the tournament
to finish at the top.”
That opportunity came to
Lincoln-Way Central state qualifiers Sean Curran (second place), Brian Sterling (102nd)
and Juney Bai (71st) pose for a picture. Photos Submitted
fruition the following day.
Starting on the back nine at
The Den, Curran played the
first nine holes at 1-under,
despite two bogeys in that
stretch. Playing the final
nine holes, Pohlmann said
Curran knew he was in the
mix for the state title. Curran
birdied hole 2 and saved
par on the par-5 fifth hole
even with hitting his ball
in the water. He followed
that up by birdieing hole 6,
which is arguably the toughest
hole at The Den. Only
four other golfers birdied
that hole.
However, playing ahead
of him was SWSC foe Ben
Sluzas, of Lockport, going
3-under the final two
holes to finish at 4-under
for the tournament. Needing
to go mistake free the
rest of the way, at the par-3
eighth hole, Curran missed
the green, and his chip was
short, giving him a testy,
5-foot par putt, which he
missed. At that point, Curran
knew he had to eagle the
final hole, which was a par-
5, to tie Sluzas. After his
tee shot, he was 210 yards
from the green but shooting
into the wind. The shot went
short of the green, leaving
him an attempt to hole in a
difficult, short pitch shot to
tie. He didn’t convert, but
made his birdie putt after to
finish in second place, one
stroke behind Sluzas.
Pohlmann said he wasn’t
surprised to see Curran,
only a sophomore, contending
for a state title.
“He had played well all
year but hasn’t had that
peak run,” Pohlmann said.
“I knew he was due for a really
low number. Most of the
day, he was hitting a driving
iron. He probably only hit
five drivers throughout the
day. He really controlled the
ball, controlled the course
and showed a maturity that
a sophomore doesn’t usually
have.”
Curran’s teammate Juney
Bai was also in the mix.
The freshman was as high
as 14th place in the early
going at 1-under through
six holes before hitting a
rough stretch. He finished
his first nine holes with a 37
(1-over), but a 45 on the final
nine holes bumped him
down to 71st place.
Pohlman said the stretch
of holes 5-7 at The Den is
called the “Fox Trap,” signifying
its difficulty, which
Bai could not overcome.
However, he’s only a freshman
and has plenty of time
to bounce back.
“He was so poised early
on, but the ‘Fox Trap’ got
him,” Pohlmann said. “He
bogeyed [hole 5], he ended
Lincoln-Way Central golfer Sean Curran was the runnerup
at the 3A IHSA state tournament in Bloomington on
Saturday, Oct. 13.
up making a big number at
8, and at that point, for a
freshman to be able to rally
and bounce back is a difficult
thing, especially after
he was playing so well.”
Senior Brian Sterling
sneaked into the state tournament
by capturing the
final qualifying spot at the
Edwardsville Sectional. He
finished in 102nd place,
shooting an 88.
“Brian just couldn’t putt
today,” Pohlmann said. “He
had one of those rounds. He
had 37 putts, which means
a lot of three putts. Some of
that is the state atmosphere,
some of that is the cold, but
what a way for Brian to finish
off his career with a state
appearance.”
The Knights could have
advanced as a team to state
had they qualified out of
regionals.The Top 4 scores
out of Central’s five qualifying
individuals at the Edwardsville
Sectional on Oct.
8 combined for 321, which
would’ve placed them second
as a team. Top 3 teams at
sectionals advance to state.
Pohlmann sees the positives
out of the unfortunate
team result in the postseason,
noting this will keep
his talented team hungry
going into next year. Aside
from Bai and Curran, starters
Nick Tingley and T.J.
Edmier will also return next
season.
“I don’t get too upset
[about the team not advancing
out of regionals]
because it’s good that the
younger kids face some
adversity,” Pohlmann said.
“I think our guys really are
motivated heading into next
year, and they see the possibilities
that lie ahead.”