GREENVILLE – For having three freshmen and a sophomore among his six starters on Thursday, Greenville boys golf coach Brian Stickel is “fairly pleased” with how his squad fared at the 23rd annual Greenville Invitational.
The four underclassmen accounted for the Green Wave’s team score of 377 which landed them in seventh place out of 12 teams at their home course Turtle Creek Golf Course.
“Considering that we have three freshmen, I am fairly pleased with how we played today,” said Stickel, who is in his 29th year of coaching. “We still have a lot of work to do. We have to cut down on some of those triples and quads so we can get down a lot lower, but overall I am pleased.
“They are going to get better with experience no question,” he continued about his younger players. “But that is just what it is going to take right now. Getting some more experience at playing in matches and that will get them a little more confidence too.”
Alex Kolb was the low man for Greenville Thursday carding a 90. Fellow freshman Warren Hartzell added a 91 followed by Jack Marchal’s 97 and sophomore Evan Saylor’s 99. Seniors Andrew Kiryluk (100) and Bryan Day (113) also competed for the Green Wave.
“Today, the three freshman had the three lowest scores on the team and that is a positive,” Stickel said. “But there will be days when they struggle. It is just going to be one of those situations where they take two steps forward and one step back until they get some more experience, but I am very pleased with the way they are playing right now.”
Earlier this week, Greenville competed in the Miamisburg Invitational at Pipestone Golf Course and it was Hartzell who led the squad with the low score. Kolb had the second lowest score that day and Saylor contributed the fourth lowest score.
”I am very excited to see them playing as well as they are right now,” Stickel said. “Like I said they are just going to get better and better with more experience. We do have a lot of work to be done yet, but I think the future looks pretty bright. Hopefully, by the end of the year we are down in the 350s in an invitational. I do think we are heading in the right direction.”
Beavercreek was the tournament champion with a 328 team score. They were followed by Northmont (329), Troy (335), Fairmont (346), Amherst Steele (358), Springfield Northwestern (370), Greenville (377), Van Wert (386), Sidney (398), Piqua (430), Stebbins (431) and Covington (450).
The individual medalist was Troy’s Holden Scribner with a 76. He was followed in the top five by Beavercreek’s Colton Carter and Northmont’s David Richards each with 78 and then tied for fourth with 79s were Ben Spiekermann of Beavercreek and Logan Mayes of Fairmont.
Greenville returns to action at noon on Monday in the Troy Invitational at Troy Country Club.