Austin Craig wasn't happy with the way he played Balmoral Woods Country Club's front nine. He'd gone out in three-over-par 41.
"I thought I could play a lot better," Craig said. "I was just trying to keep it together on the back."
While Craig wasn't happy, Eagles coach Jim Morsovillo was concerned. Craig is Sandburg's best player, and was playing in the final group of the Class 3A sectional in Crete. If he didn't come through, the Eagles wouldn't be going to this weekend's state championship.
Craig came through, dramatically. An eight-foot birdie putt on the par 4 10th hole started a binge of three straight birdies, with another at the par-4 14th. The birdies, none of which was longer than 15 feet, allowed Craig to race home in two-under 32 for a total of one-over 73.
The junior's score was not only good enough to earn the individual medal, but clinched Sandburg's first trip to the state finals as a team since 2004. The top four Eagles scored 325 strokes.
"I wasn't trying to think at all," Craig said of his mental state during his outburst. "Once I think about it, I mess up on the next hole."
There was no messing up for the Eagles, not with junior Pat Kennedy contributing an 80 and senior Brendan Stanford chipping in with an 85. Senior Dave Smulson's 87 was the final score to count.
"We had a really solid team this year," Stanford said. "Our top six were more consistent."
Morsovillo credited Craig's experience downstate last year as a reason he pulled through on the back nine.
"Everyone kind of relied on him this year, knowing he was the last golfer out there," Morsovillo said. "It put us at ease a little bit."
Fenwick edged Brother Rice for the other team spot downstate. Bobb y Besio and Mike Sullivan eaqch shot 81 for the Friars, who advanced on a fifth-place tiebreaker after the first four players for each school totaled 329 strokes. Matt Napleton's 87 was three strokes better than Trevor Martin's 90. Homewood-Flossmoor was another stroke back, at 330.
Mark Bermele of Brother Rice was second individually, his three-over 75 bolstered by a pair of birdies down the stretch to conclude an up-and-down round on an up. But the next best score by a Crusader was Ron Maravek's 11-over 83, and the scores went up from there.
Homewood-Flossmoor also had a shot at the second team spot. Junior Mike Fitzgerald's five-over 77 led the way for the Vikings, but one less stroke by any of the best four players would have put them into the tiebreaker.
Keith Haines of Marian Catholic was third, at four-over 76, his best score of the season.
"I just kept it in play, grinded it out," Haines said.
Along with Bermele and Haines, individuals advancing include Michael Fitzgerald and Tim Weber of Homewood-Flossmoor, Bobby Sloan and Peter Vrdolyak of Mount Carmel, Shamus Fitzpatrick and Mike Lanigan of St. Ignatius, Paul Townsend of Andrew, Chris Fiedlein of Stagg and Ron Maravek of Brother Rice.
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