BOYS GOLF: Lake Orion wins first Oakland County title
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
WATERFORD TWP. — In what could be Lake Orion’s most memorable boys golf season to date, the Dragons added another exciting chapter Wednesday.
Nine days after shooting a school record 288, state-ranked Lake Orion captured its first Oakland County Division I Tournament title at Pontiac Country Club. The Dragons put together a play-five, count-four score of 303 to win going away, as he nearest competitor was 12 strokes behind.
“This is our first county title. We have been consistently a good team the past several years, but we finally put it together at the county tournament,” offered Lake Orion coach Monty Gallaher. “There are so many good teams and players here ever year. This is a great accomplishment.”
The Dragons, who finished fourth last season and are currently ranked seventh in the state in Division 1, also produced the day’s medalist, as Oakland University-bound senior Alex Waelchli clubbed a 2-under round of 70 to continue his torrid pace. He also shot a 67 to win the NextTee Tournament at Oakland Hills last week.
TOP FLIGHT: Lake Orion senior Alex Waelchli and the Dragons captured their first Oakland county Division I Tournament Wednesday at Pontiac Country Club. File Photo
“I didn’t even know this was our first Oakland County championship’” admitted Waelchli. “It’s an honor to win something like this. We got off to a slow start this season, but I think we are starting to play better as a team.”
Senior Mason Gorris (74), sophomore Schuyler Werth (77) and junior Griffin Beeler (82) aided Lake Orion’s winning cause.
Division 1 top-ranked Novi Detroit Catholic Central was a distant second at 315, with Farmington (316) and Rochester Adams (316) one stroke back. Rochester Stoney Creek claimed fifth (318) in the 25-school field, while defending champion and and D-1 sixth-ranked Birmingham Brother Rice (320), Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (320), D-1 eighth-ranked Clarkston (320), Novi (320) and Rochester (322) rounded out the top 10 team scores.
Cranbrook Kingswood’s Dylan Deogun was second at 72, while Gorris tied Adams’ Eric Busa and Rochester freshman Michael Busse for third at 74.
White Lake Lakeland’s Justin Pahl was sixth at 75, followed by Clarkston’s Brendon Graham (76), Brother Rice’s Kyle Gaines (76), Stoney Creek’s Spencer Lendzion (76), Catholic Central’s Phil Ritchie (77), Novi’s Brad Kozinski (77) and Garret Buckley (77), defending champion Gavin Garris (77) of South Lyon and Bloomfield Hills Andover’s Kyle Petrovich (77) all followed in the top 10 of the medalist standings.
Soaring past the annual loaded field is another benchmark for Lake Orion’s rising program.
“These programs (in Oakland County) are always the watermark for us. They are all great programs and we hope to be here every year competing against the very best,” added Gallagher.
As for Waelchli, he continued to play amongst the state’s elite.
“I always try to go out and [play my best and try to win every tournament,” smiled Waelchli. “I thought I played really well. I only had, I believe, only 25 putts all day.”
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