LaGRANGE, Ohio (Sept. 23, 2023) -- Rocky River notched an impressive tournament win Saturday, with the Pirates besting all foes in the talented field of the St. Edward Invitational at Grey Hawk Golf Club.
Led by senior Luke Dietrich's runner-up performance, the Swinging Corsairs fired a four-man score of 327 to take down Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (332), Avon (332), and 11 other teams. Dietrich carded a 4-over 39-37--76 on the 6,687-yard track which the Double-R will see again Oct. 2 when the Pirates compete in sectional tournament play.
Dietrich leveraged an eagle on the par-5 fourth to jumpstart a round that got off to a sluggish start. He would add two birdies in an effort to deaden the impact of a plus-3 start through three holes. He finished in a tie with Strongsville High School's Dean Upholzer, who took medalist honors in a scorecard playoff.
Jack Hurt (40-42--82), Dan Capka (42-42--84), and Caden Lawrence (41-44--85) rounded out Rocky River's scoring. As a team, the Pirates hit 31-of-72 greens (43.1%) while averaging 33.5 putts per man.
"This was great preparation for our sectional tournament next Monday," said coach David Hendrickson, whose River squad also earned a tournament win earlier in the week in
Tuesday's Great Lakes Conference Tournament, also held at Grey Hawk. "It was firm and windy, which is how it’ll play on October 2. I think it inspired confidence in the kids seeing the course and the set-up. Now we have a week to make improvements."
by Skip Snow