ROCHELLE — Fairways Golf Course played host to the Rochelle Township High School varsity golf team’s home opener against the DeKalb Barbs on Wednesday. Three Rochelle athletes carded scores in the 40s as the Barbs emerged victorious with 165 while the Hubs shot 181. Rochelle will return home for a three-team match with Mendota and Amboy on Thursday.
Senior Griffin Ohlinger and freshman Ian Metzger each finished with 42 for the Hubs, who along with the Barbs worked through the usual challenges at fairways including narrow, tree-lined fairways and occasional hazards. Senior Damen Harrington added 45 for Rochelle in the match.
“It felt good to be back in Rochelle,” head coach Glen Mehrings said. “Griffin and Damen really want to play well this year and they’ll be leading our team. Ian fought back from a triple bogey and Damen fought back with a birdie on the second hole after triple bogeying the first hole. I thought the kids tried to do a little too much at times and we talked about settling into our round as opposed to focusing on our scores. I think our team can shoot in the 170s and below.”
Junior Cale Workman scored a season-low 52 for the fourth and final varsity score for the Hubs (0-3, 0-0 Interstate 8) on Wednesday. Seniors Wade Smith and David Wanner each finished with 56 to round out the varsity lineup. DeKalb carded scores of 39, 40, 42 and 44 in the match.
“It was nice to see Cale earn our fourth score because that’s a spot where we usually need help,” Mehrings said. “He made a string of fives over the middle of his round and that helped us out a lot… Damen really wants to score lower and he’s working on hitting his wedges better around the greens. We’ve loaned him some extra clubs and he has more options around the green right now. He’s hitting the ball longer so we’re hoping his short game comes around.”