Boys golf: Tough field tests county players at Walker Jones Classic

YORK TWP. — Going up against a field loaded with talent, senior Eli Zimmerman led the Medina boys golf team to its best score of the young season Wednesday, a 306 that placed ninth at the Walker Jones Classic. The Bees also beat Medina County rivals Highland (312) and Brunswick (345). Among the 18 teams that descended upon Shale Creek Golf Club were reigning Division I state champion Whitehouse Anthony Wayne and reigning D-II champion Cincinnati Archbishop Alter. In total, there were six D-I and two D-II state participating teams from last fall. Despite not achieving the ultimate goal of winning their tournament, the Bees did plenty to hold their own. "It's super cool to play well at our own tournament," Zimmerman said. "That's the tournament you want to win the most. Although we didn't (win), it just good to play well at our home tournament." The reigning Gazette MVP led Medina with a 2-over-par 73, which tied him for 14th individually. Cincinnati St. Xavier won the championship with 286. The Musketeers were one of four teams to break 300, followed by St. Ignatius (287), University School (297) and Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (299). Highland finished tied for 12th with St. Clairsville, while Brunswick was 17th. The Blue Devils were led by seniors Dayten Bobula (83) and Jonas Hinderer (84). Hinderer, who started on No. 15, was able to come back from a couple early double bogeys to hit his stride on the 471-yard seventh and 573-yard eighth. He netted plenty of pars down the stretch to keep his round in order and was able to improve on a lagging approach game to get up-and-down more. "At the start, I wasn't playing too hot," Hinderer said. "I kind of turned everything around and got consistent pars. I cleaned up towards the end. "I just needed to take a breath, step away and not think about my score. It's always onto the next hole. I didn't give up." Zach Butcher finished one stroke behind Zimmerman thanks to quality ball striking that helped make up for some missed putting opportunities. He birdied the 524-yard, par-5 third hole with a drive into the left rough and a hybrid to the left side of the green from 230 yards out. He then two-putted from 20 feet. Butcher added 15 pars to his lone birdie. "When I start getting confident, I hit better shots," Butcher said. "It adds up. If I hit a good drive, I'll feel good and hit a good iron shot. With each shot, I feel more confident that I'm going to hit it well." Luke Butcher followed with a 77, while Hayden Hoyt (79) and Austin Valore (82) rounded out the Highland scoring. With only two returning letterwinners, the Hornets know how important early season success is to building momentum. "It means a lot, because a lot of the kids are newer and feel more pressure at these tournaments at the beginning of the year," Zach Butcher said. "Getting that pressure relieved for later in the year for sectionals and districts is really important if we want to do well." Zimmerman, who started on No. 10, relied on strong iron play to hit a lot of greens. He drained back-to-back birdies on the 191-yard, par-3 15th with a 7-iron and a 30-foot putt and the 569-yard 16th, where he hit a wedge to four feet to set up his putt. "I felt like I played really well," Zimmerman said. "I hit my irons really well. I've been struggling a bit putting recently, but fixed that some today. All in all it was a good round." Behind Zimmerman, Cam Stafford and Coen Miller each turned in a 76, while freshman Declan West carded 81. Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com. Results Walker Jones Classic at par-71 Shale Creek G.C. Standings: 1. Cincinnati St. Xavier 286, 2. St. Ignatius 287, 3. University School 297, 4. Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller 299, 5. Cincinnati Archbishop Alter 301, 6. Chagrin Falls 301, 7. Hudson 303, 8. Toledo St. John's Jesuit 305, 9. Medina 306, 10. Whitehouse Anthony Wayne 308, 11. Massillon Jackson 310, 12. Highland 312, 13. St. Clairsville 312, 14. Findlary 321, 15. Green 322, 16. Columbus Bishop Watterson 325, 17. Brunswick 345, 18. Stow 393. Medina (306): Eli Zimmerman 73, Cam Stafford 76, Coen Miller 76, Declan West 81, Wren Spires 82, Austin Funk 86. Highland (312): Zach Butcher 74, Luke Butcher 77, Hayden Hoyt 79, Austin Valore 82, Jun Kim 87, Sam Amer 96. Brunswick (345): Dayten Bobula 83, Jonas Hinderer 84, Ethan Kovacs 86, Braedon Iacobacci 92, Chase McConnell 97, Luke Stella 99.