COLUMBIA STATION, Ohio (Sept. 6, 2022) -- Nick Tianello fired a career-best 70, and the Rocky River Pirates earned a victory in Tuesday's Midview Invitational at Columbia Hills Country Club.
Tianello carded a 1-under score -- good enough for medalist honors in the 15-team tournament -- and, aside from conference tournament play, the Swinging Corsairs earned their first tournament win since 2017. The Pirates tallied a 70-74-80-81--305 to turn aside Olmsted Falls (308), Westlake (308) and 12 other teams in soggy conditions on the 6,019-yard, par-71 layout in Columbia Station. Rocky River's top three scorers were Tianello (35-35--70), Luke Dietrich (40-34--74), and Owen Toole (38-42--80). Two players (Dan Capka: 40-41--81 and Jack Hurt: 40-41--81) tied for the team's fourth-and-final spot. River's would-be six-man score was impressive in its own right, with Wes Bennett filing a non-counting 43-39--82.
The team's 305 stands as its best score of the season.
Tianello and Dietrich combined to hit 28-of-36 greens in regulation. Tianello's round included 15 greens and 32 putts. He bogeyed his first hole of the day -- the 178-yard, par-3 15th -- and played the next 17 holes 2-under par. Tianello birdied the par-4 ninth and the par-4 13th. The birdie on the 366-yard 13th -- his penultimate hole in the round -- loomed large in his earning medalist honors in the tournament hosted by Midview High School. Tianello beat out Independence's Mark Pillar (72) by one stroke.
Dietrich's round included three birdies and more-than-a-couple trouble spots. But he finished at 3-over and has averaged a fine 75.8 since Aug. 17.
Capka and Toole logged one birdie each. Hurt's round began with a triple-bogey, but the junior bounced back admirably to card his 81.
As a team, Rocky River hit fairways at a 60% clip and greens at a 52.2% rate. The Pirates averaged 33 putts per man.
The Swinging Corsairs have now won two tournaments this season (Aug. 5 Great Lakes Conference Preview). In eight tournaments, the Pirates have earned seven first-division finishes. Their average place of finish has been 6.1 in an average field of 17.6 teams.
"It was great to see everyone play so well today," said coach David Hendrickson. "This is a tremendous win for our program. I could not be more proud of our kids and the work they continue to put in. They practice on their own, and it shows."
by Skip Snow
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