This story is sponsored by: The Marshfield Tiger Booster Club
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – Marshfield senior Derek Michalski shot a 6-over par 78 to finish third overall at the WIAA Division 1 boys golf sectional Tuesday at RiverEdge Golf Course.
Michalski earned the second of three individual qualifying spots for the WIAA State Boys Golf Championships, which will be June 5-6 at University Ridge Golf Club in Verona. Michalski will be moving on to state for the second year in a row.
Eau Claire Memorial, led by meet medalist Matt Fladten’s 4-over par 76, won the team title with a score of 320. Memorial and second-place finisher River Falls (330) qualify as teams for the state tournament. River Falls beat Hudson in a tiebreaker on the first playoff hole to earn that final team spot.
The top three individuals not on those qualifying teams also earn spots at state. Matt Tuman of Wausau East shot a 77 to finish second overall and joins Michalski and Wausau West junior Josh Yang as the individual qualifiers. Yang topped Merrill freshman Russell Dettmering in a playoff after both shot 79s.
Michalski started his round 5-over par through four holes before rallying to finish just 1-over on the final 14 holes.
Michalski had double bogeys on the first and fourth holes before coming back with six straight pars. He also had birdies on the 12th and 16th holes to offset bogeys on the 11th, 14th, and 15th holes.
“I was very proud of Derek,” Marshfield coach Paul Foegen said. “He stayed mentally tough. It was a tough day with the wind and he shot the low round on the back nine with a 37.”
Marshfield finished in fourth place in the team standings with a score of 338, eight shots out of the second-place playoff.
Senior Zach Hanson shot an 81 to tie for 10th place overall, Ben Baur had an 84, Grant Michaelis had a 95, and Brendan Schneider shot a 96 for the Tigers.
“Zach Hanson also played very well just missing the playoff for the third individual spot by two strokes,” Foegen said. “I would like to thank the five seniors for their hard work and dedication during the season. It was a good way to finish the season beating both Stevens Point and Wausau East, even if we fell short of qualifying for state as a team.”
WIAA Division 1 Boys Golf Sectional
May 30, at RiverEdge Golf Course, Marshfield
*State Meet qualifiers
Team scores: *1. Eau Claire Memorial 320; 2. *River Falls 330; 3. Hudson 330; 4. Marshfield 338; 5. Eau Claire North 340; 6. Wausau West 343; 7. Stevens Point 347; 8. Wisconsin Rapids 367. (Note: River Falls beat Hudson on first playoff hole for second place)
Top 10 individuals and Marshfield finishers: 1. Matt Fladten (ECM) 76; *2. Matt Tuman (Wausau East) 77; *3. Derek Michalski (MAR) 78; 4. Zach Bernhardt (ECM) 79; *5. Josh Yang (WW) 79; 6. Russell Dettmering (Merrill) 79; 7. Logan Comte (ECN), Blake Skogen (RF) and Logan Funk (HUD) 80; 10. Tyler Wingad (HUD), Zach Hanson (MAR), Jesse Cudd (RF), and Ben Langlois (WW) 81; 21. (tie) Ben Baur (MAR) 84; 41. (tie) Grant Michaelis (MAR) 95; 47. Brenden Schneider (MAR) 96. (Note: Zach Bernhardt takes fourth place after four playoff holes over Josh Yang. Yang takes fifth and earns last qualifying position on second playoff hole over Russell Dettmering).