Valley Advances To State Golf Finals
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
FORT WAYNE - It was a simple nod of the head, but inside, emotions were ripping Tippecanoe Valley golf coach Roger Moriarty apart.
"This is your first time out?" the regional golf host asked Moriarty during the awards presentation. Moriarty nodded his head. Yes. Yes it is.
For the first time in school history, Tippecanoe Valley's golf team is "out" of the regional and into the state round. Valley advanced by shooting 322, good for third place, in Friday's Homestead Regional at Chestnut Hills Golf Course.
The top three teams advance, which includes champion Culver Military Academy (317) and Goshen (321).
"I'm just so tickled for our kids that they get to go on to state," Moriarty said. "This is my 10th year as coach, and it's our first trip in school history."
Valley's scores on the par-72 18-hole course, in order from the first golfer through the fifth golfer in the lineup, were as follows: Drew Shafer, 77; Andy Martin, 76; Brian Love, 78; Anthony Domenico, 97; and Brandon Eaton, 91.
Shafer parred 13 holes. Martin birdied hole 16, a par-3 hole, and had 12 pars. Love birdied hole 10, a par-4 hole, and hole 14, a par-3 hole.
"Our one and two golfers go 77 and 76, and then Brian Love comes through with a 78," Moriarty said. "That was a great effort on his part. Andy had a tough day. Brandon has a 44.4 average, so he was just two strokes higher than his average.
"We shot 318 in practice here this week, and I thought we could do that in the match. We had a 159 at the turn today, which tied us for second place then. I felt like we had ourselves in a good position."
CMA's Herbie Champlin fired a 71 to take medalist honors.
Also advancing are the top three individuals not on advancing teams, which includes Columbia City's Mike Schumaker (74), Plymouth's Adam Gifford (74) and Warsaw's Aaron Turner (75). Also for Warsaw, Justin Howell shot 82, Ryan Slone 88, Adam Johnson 85 and Greg Clay 87. The Tigers shot 329 for fifth place.
Another local golfer, Wawasee's Stephen Conrad, saw his season end after shooting an 84 in the individual round of the tournament.
While Warsaw is happy to have one golfer moving on, the Tigers thought they would have the team advancing. Earlier in the week Warsaw coach Bob Turner was escatatic over Warsaw's practice round at the course and said his golfers "always play good on that course."
"I'm disappointed we shot as high as we did," Bob Turner said. "Aaron played well for us. The four other kids, I can't complain. They have been there for us throughout the year. We had a good season."
But coaches consider the Fuzzy Zoeller-designed course a difficult course that can challenge the most talented golfers, and Friday's play proved them right.
DeKalb entered the regional with the best sectional score, 297; the Barons shot 332 to finish seventh in the 12-team regional after winning the Churubusco Sectional one week ago.
Warsaw came into the regional as a top three seed with a 309 sectional score; the Tigers shot 329 to finish fifth at the regional after winning the Warsaw Sectional one week ago.
A year ago Warsaw won this regional with a 302, and four of the five golfers returned this season, but the Tigers were 27 strokes worse. Weather conditions were the same this year as last year: hot and windy.
CMA and Valley each shot 316 at last week's Warsaw Sectional, but CMA won the regional, and Valley moved into the top three despite a seventh seed.
Go figure.
"Look at the scores," Bob Turner said. "DeKalb shot a 297 last week then a 332 this week. That tells you this course is brutal."
Moriarty agreed.
"It's tough," he said. "This course penalizes you for straight shots. You have to play smart on this course, or you'll get in trouble."
The course, which lies in an upscale housing addition, features countless water hazards. Add to that some of the holes lie in low ground surrounded by woods, and with 90-degree temperatures, stifling humidity and horseflies, the golfers had their work cut out for them.
One by one, as the Warsaw golfers took a break after the first nine holes, the looks on their faces and the way they dropped their golf bags on the ground said everything: They did not like their scores. Four of the five golfers shot 41 or higher on the par-36 front nine.
"Last year we had the breaks and shot well," Bob Turner said. "This year, we didn't get the breaks, and it just was not our day.
The Vikings teed off at 9:15 a.m., and Warsaw and DeKalb teed off in the last threesome at 10:30 a.m. Afterward, Bob Turner said this could have had an effect.
"Look at the three teams advancing - those are teams that had early times," he said. "I think the slow play took toll on some teams. We had to wait 45 minutes at times for a hole because play was backed up. That makes it hard to play.
"But we can't use that as an excuse. The three teams that moved on deserved it."
As did Aaron Turner, Bob's son, who followed a 38 on the front nine with a 37 on the back nine.
"I'm sure Warsaw is disappointed, but I'm tickled for Aaron and Bob," Moriarty said. "It's difficult to coach your son, and I think it's great he's going on."
Said Bob Turner: "(Aaron) played excellent. He hit a lot of greens. He played almost a perfect game. The last time he played here he shot 90 - that's the way this course is. You can shoot a high number then shoot a low number in the same weather conditions."
The Tigers finished with a 13-2 record this season.
Valley, which posted a 12-4 record, continues its season Friday at Prestwick Country Club in Avon.
2000 HOMESTEAD GOLF REGIONAL
Friday at Chestnut Hills Golf Course
The top three teams and top three individuals not on those top three teams advance to Friday's state finals at the Prestwick Country Club in Avon.
Team scores -Ê1. Culver Military Academy 317, 2. Goshen 321, 3. Tippecanoe Valley 322, 4. Fort Wayne Concordia 327, 5. Warsaw 329, 6. Bishop Dwenger 331, 7. DeKalb 332, 8. Elkhart Central 340, 9. Elkhart Memorial 343, 10. Angola 347, 11. Fort Wayne Northrop 350, 12. East Noble 357
Top 3 individuals not on advancing teams -Ê1. Adam Gifford (Plymouth) 74, 2. Mike Schumaker (Columbia City) 74, 3. Aaron Turner (Warsaw) 75
Medalist - Herbie Champlin (CMA) 71
Par 4-4-5 4-3-4 3-4-5 36/4-4-5 4-3-4 3-4-5 36 -Ê72
Hole 1-2-3 4-5-6 7-8-9 --/10-11-12 13-14-15 16-17-18
Tippecanoe Valley
Drew Shafer: 4-4-5 4-4-5 3-4-5 38/4-4-7 5-3-4 3-5-4 39 - 77
Andy Martin: 5-5-5 4-3-4 3-4-5 38/4-4-5 5-5-4 2-4-5 38 - 76
Brian Love: 5-4-5 5-4-4 4-5-5 41/3-4-5 5-2-4 3-6-5 37 - 78
Anthony Domenico: 3-5-6 5-3-10 4-7-9 52/5-5-7 5-4-4 3-6-6 - 97
Brandon Eaton: 4-4-6 4-3-5 4-6-6 42/5-7-7 4-4-5 3-7-7 49 - 91
Warsaw
Justin Howell: 5-4-5 5-4-6 4-3-5 41/7-5-5 5-3-4 4-4-4 41 -Ê82
Aaron Turner: 4-3-5 4-3-4 4-6-5 38/4-4-5 4-4-4 3-4-5 37 -Ê75
Ryan Slone: 4-4-8 4-3-5 3-5-5 41/5-5-6 4-6-5 4-7-5 47 -Ê88
Adam Johnson: 4-5-7 4-3-6 4-5-5 43/4-5-6 5-3-3 6-4-6 42 -Ê85
Greg Clay: 5-4-6 5-3-5 3-6-6 43/4-3-5 8-4-4 3-5-8 44 -Ê87
Wawasee
Stephen Conrad: 4-4-5 4-3-4 3-5-5 37/5-7-8 4-3-4 3-7-6 47 -Ê84 [[In-content Ad]]
FORT WAYNE - It was a simple nod of the head, but inside, emotions were ripping Tippecanoe Valley golf coach Roger Moriarty apart.
"This is your first time out?" the regional golf host asked Moriarty during the awards presentation. Moriarty nodded his head. Yes. Yes it is.
For the first time in school history, Tippecanoe Valley's golf team is "out" of the regional and into the state round. Valley advanced by shooting 322, good for third place, in Friday's Homestead Regional at Chestnut Hills Golf Course.
The top three teams advance, which includes champion Culver Military Academy (317) and Goshen (321).
"I'm just so tickled for our kids that they get to go on to state," Moriarty said. "This is my 10th year as coach, and it's our first trip in school history."
Valley's scores on the par-72 18-hole course, in order from the first golfer through the fifth golfer in the lineup, were as follows: Drew Shafer, 77; Andy Martin, 76; Brian Love, 78; Anthony Domenico, 97; and Brandon Eaton, 91.
Shafer parred 13 holes. Martin birdied hole 16, a par-3 hole, and had 12 pars. Love birdied hole 10, a par-4 hole, and hole 14, a par-3 hole.
"Our one and two golfers go 77 and 76, and then Brian Love comes through with a 78," Moriarty said. "That was a great effort on his part. Andy had a tough day. Brandon has a 44.4 average, so he was just two strokes higher than his average.
"We shot 318 in practice here this week, and I thought we could do that in the match. We had a 159 at the turn today, which tied us for second place then. I felt like we had ourselves in a good position."
CMA's Herbie Champlin fired a 71 to take medalist honors.
Also advancing are the top three individuals not on advancing teams, which includes Columbia City's Mike Schumaker (74), Plymouth's Adam Gifford (74) and Warsaw's Aaron Turner (75). Also for Warsaw, Justin Howell shot 82, Ryan Slone 88, Adam Johnson 85 and Greg Clay 87. The Tigers shot 329 for fifth place.
Another local golfer, Wawasee's Stephen Conrad, saw his season end after shooting an 84 in the individual round of the tournament.
While Warsaw is happy to have one golfer moving on, the Tigers thought they would have the team advancing. Earlier in the week Warsaw coach Bob Turner was escatatic over Warsaw's practice round at the course and said his golfers "always play good on that course."
"I'm disappointed we shot as high as we did," Bob Turner said. "Aaron played well for us. The four other kids, I can't complain. They have been there for us throughout the year. We had a good season."
But coaches consider the Fuzzy Zoeller-designed course a difficult course that can challenge the most talented golfers, and Friday's play proved them right.
DeKalb entered the regional with the best sectional score, 297; the Barons shot 332 to finish seventh in the 12-team regional after winning the Churubusco Sectional one week ago.
Warsaw came into the regional as a top three seed with a 309 sectional score; the Tigers shot 329 to finish fifth at the regional after winning the Warsaw Sectional one week ago.
A year ago Warsaw won this regional with a 302, and four of the five golfers returned this season, but the Tigers were 27 strokes worse. Weather conditions were the same this year as last year: hot and windy.
CMA and Valley each shot 316 at last week's Warsaw Sectional, but CMA won the regional, and Valley moved into the top three despite a seventh seed.
Go figure.
"Look at the scores," Bob Turner said. "DeKalb shot a 297 last week then a 332 this week. That tells you this course is brutal."
Moriarty agreed.
"It's tough," he said. "This course penalizes you for straight shots. You have to play smart on this course, or you'll get in trouble."
The course, which lies in an upscale housing addition, features countless water hazards. Add to that some of the holes lie in low ground surrounded by woods, and with 90-degree temperatures, stifling humidity and horseflies, the golfers had their work cut out for them.
One by one, as the Warsaw golfers took a break after the first nine holes, the looks on their faces and the way they dropped their golf bags on the ground said everything: They did not like their scores. Four of the five golfers shot 41 or higher on the par-36 front nine.
"Last year we had the breaks and shot well," Bob Turner said. "This year, we didn't get the breaks, and it just was not our day.
The Vikings teed off at 9:15 a.m., and Warsaw and DeKalb teed off in the last threesome at 10:30 a.m. Afterward, Bob Turner said this could have had an effect.
"Look at the three teams advancing - those are teams that had early times," he said. "I think the slow play took toll on some teams. We had to wait 45 minutes at times for a hole because play was backed up. That makes it hard to play.
"But we can't use that as an excuse. The three teams that moved on deserved it."
As did Aaron Turner, Bob's son, who followed a 38 on the front nine with a 37 on the back nine.
"I'm sure Warsaw is disappointed, but I'm tickled for Aaron and Bob," Moriarty said. "It's difficult to coach your son, and I think it's great he's going on."
Said Bob Turner: "(Aaron) played excellent. He hit a lot of greens. He played almost a perfect game. The last time he played here he shot 90 - that's the way this course is. You can shoot a high number then shoot a low number in the same weather conditions."
The Tigers finished with a 13-2 record this season.
Valley, which posted a 12-4 record, continues its season Friday at Prestwick Country Club in Avon.
2000 HOMESTEAD GOLF REGIONAL
Friday at Chestnut Hills Golf Course
The top three teams and top three individuals not on those top three teams advance to Friday's state finals at the Prestwick Country Club in Avon.
Team scores -Ê1. Culver Military Academy 317, 2. Goshen 321, 3. Tippecanoe Valley 322, 4. Fort Wayne Concordia 327, 5. Warsaw 329, 6. Bishop Dwenger 331, 7. DeKalb 332, 8. Elkhart Central 340, 9. Elkhart Memorial 343, 10. Angola 347, 11. Fort Wayne Northrop 350, 12. East Noble 357
Top 3 individuals not on advancing teams -Ê1. Adam Gifford (Plymouth) 74, 2. Mike Schumaker (Columbia City) 74, 3. Aaron Turner (Warsaw) 75
Medalist - Herbie Champlin (CMA) 71
Par 4-4-5 4-3-4 3-4-5 36/4-4-5 4-3-4 3-4-5 36 -Ê72
Hole 1-2-3 4-5-6 7-8-9 --/10-11-12 13-14-15 16-17-18
Tippecanoe Valley
Drew Shafer: 4-4-5 4-4-5 3-4-5 38/4-4-7 5-3-4 3-5-4 39 - 77
Andy Martin: 5-5-5 4-3-4 3-4-5 38/4-4-5 5-5-4 2-4-5 38 - 76
Brian Love: 5-4-5 5-4-4 4-5-5 41/3-4-5 5-2-4 3-6-5 37 - 78
Anthony Domenico: 3-5-6 5-3-10 4-7-9 52/5-5-7 5-4-4 3-6-6 - 97
Brandon Eaton: 4-4-6 4-3-5 4-6-6 42/5-7-7 4-4-5 3-7-7 49 - 91
Warsaw
Justin Howell: 5-4-5 5-4-6 4-3-5 41/7-5-5 5-3-4 4-4-4 41 -Ê82
Aaron Turner: 4-3-5 4-3-4 4-6-5 38/4-4-5 4-4-4 3-4-5 37 -Ê75
Ryan Slone: 4-4-8 4-3-5 3-5-5 41/5-5-6 4-6-5 4-7-5 47 -Ê88
Adam Johnson: 4-5-7 4-3-6 4-5-5 43/4-5-6 5-3-3 6-4-6 42 -Ê85
Greg Clay: 5-4-6 5-3-5 3-6-6 43/4-3-5 8-4-4 3-5-8 44 -Ê87
Wawasee
Stephen Conrad: 4-4-5 4-3-4 3-5-5 37/5-7-8 4-3-4 3-7-6 47 -Ê84 [[In-content Ad]]