SEVILLE, Ohio (Aug. 11, 2023) -- The Pirates closed out a busy-but-successful week with a runner-up finish in the Great Lakes Conference Preview Friday.
A mid-size golf towel would cover Rocky River's four lowest scores on the par-72, 6,359-yard Rawiga Golf & Country Club, which gathered the conference's 11 Boys Golf squads and which will host the circuit's title event on Sept. 18. River posted a 78-79-80-80--317. The Westlake Demons, bolstered by the performance of medalist Sion Parker (1-over 73), fired a 308. The Pirates finished 5 strokes ahead of third-place Bay. Perhaps that suburban triumvirate -- Bay, Rocky River, Westlake -- will stand out as the three top competitors. A Clague Road Clash, with a talent gap no wider than a fairway at nearby Westwood Country Club. That's the way coach David Hendrickson sees things shaping up.
"In my eight years here, this is as good as the top three teams in this conference have been," said Hendrickson, whose Pirates have won the GLC seven of the last eight years. "There are some talented players in this conference. Today's finish represents a 1-2-3 that could play out in close fashion all the way. It should make for a fun season and a really competitive championship event."
That championship event will be Sept. 18 at Grey Hawk Golf Club in Lagrange. The scoring format for determining GLC standings opened Friday at the Preview. It will culminate Sept. 18 and include match results in between.
On Thursday, River's scoring four were Luke Dietrich (36-42--78, Nick Tianello (42-37--79, Dan Capka (40-40--80), and Caden Lawrence (38-42--80). The Pirates filed two other competitive scores; call it a pair of Jacks in the hole, with Jack Hurt carding an 43-41--84 and Jack Petrus scoring a 42-45--87.
As a team, the Double-R hit 31-of-72 (43.1%) greens. The Pirates averaged 31.5 putts. That latter figure marks a season best for a squad that has had some first-week stumbles on the short grass. Capka did his part in keeping those putting numbers in check. The senior rolled in a 30-footer for eagle on 485-yard, par-5 7th hole. Other red digits were posted Dietrich (birdies on Nos. 3 and 5), Tianello (birdie on No. 13), and Lawrence (birdies on Nos. 3 and 12). The freshman's birdie on No. 3 was a tidy effort after a near-miss on an eagle putt.
Tianello's round included 11 greens in regulation. The senior has hit 65.3% (47-of-72) of greens over his last four rounds. Those four rounds were all this week. In fact, Friday's event marked the fifth tournament in as many days for the Swinging Corsairs.
The Pirates are slated to return to action Tuesday when they play their first match of the season. River is scheduled to tangle with the Elyria Catholic Panthers and Lakewood Rangers in a GLC home tri-match at Big Met Golf Course.
by Skip Snow
# # # Pirates # # #