LAGRANGE, Ohio – The Great Lakes Conference Preview tournament was held Monday at Grey Hawk Golf Club. The Rocky River Pirates took second place in a field of nine.
The four-time (2015-18) defending conference champions logged a four-man team score of 340. One could throw a blanket around River’s individual scores (84-85-85-86) on what was a breezy day at Grey Hawk.
“Frankly, this was a tough day for us,” said Head Coach David Hendrickson whose Pirates have been dominant over the four seasons of Great Lakes Conference golf.
As a team, the Pirates collected four birdies on the day, but they came on cards rife with a few too many bogies. Senior Mac Milenius posted two of those birdies – on the par-4 third and the par-4 eighth – en route to carding an 85. He’s averaged a consistent 84.3 through the first eight days of the season.
Junior Hayden Weaver was River’s top man on Monday – he finished with a 12-over 84 on the par-72, 6,200-yard layout in Lagrange. Weaver and fellow junior John Snyder made their season varsity debuts on Monday.
Carlo Fricano carded an 85 in the GLC’s season-opening event; Will Bennett and Ethan Mylett logged 86s.
Elyria Catholic won the event, besting Rocky River by five strokes. The Panthers registered a winning score of 335. EC’s Kyle Mahaffey fired a 74 to earn medalist honors.
CANNON FIRE …
JV UPDATE: River’s junior varsity squad earned a win and a second-place finish over three tournaments in the season’s first week (the week of Aug. 5). A Matthew McDonald 76 (Forest Hills) and a Hayden Weaver 77 (Black Brook) were the top two scores posted by players representing the Double-R.
EARLY AVERAGES: From the files of the Small-Sample Department, Rocky River’s top averages in 2019 are as follows: Milenius 84.3, Fricano 84.5, Bennett 85.5.
ON DECK: Monday’s GLC Preview kicked off a busy week for the Men of Iron. On Tuesday the Pirates will take on Avon Lake in their first match of the season (Sweetbriar Golf Club – Legacy Course). River is also slated to play matches on Thursday and Friday.
by Skip Snow
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