Hunt, Marquette win golf titles
MADISON - When the pressure was its highest, Piercen Hunt and Marquette delivered.
Hunt, a sophomore from Arrowhead, and Marquette’s team came away with Division 1 state titles Tuesday at University Ridge Golf Course. Credit Hunt for the dramatics as he won a two-hole playoff over Wauwatosa's Adam Garski to claim the championship for the second straight year.
Credit Marquette for its depth as junior Jack Blair and sophomore Jack Lutze shot 1-under par 71s and junior Andrew Sagrillo finished at five over on the final day to help the Hilltoppers win their second title in three seasons.
Marquette finished with a four-man score of 598. Arrowhead, last year’s champion, was next with a 606. The Hilltoppers led by six strokes after Day 1, an advantage that was cut two by Arrowhead after six holes.
Marquette kicked it into gear from there, though and all but had the tournament in the bag heading into the final two holes.
“We kind of break the final round up into three different parts,” Marquette coach Brad Niswonger said. “In the first third, it’s is can you handle someone trying to catch up. Arrowhead was going to be really aggressive right away to try to make up the gap. We always figure that if we can hold them off and still have a lead, we’re in good shape. That was the case today.”
Hunt led after Day 1 and maintained that edge for most of the day Tuesday. Earlier in the day he recorded his third eagle of the tournament – he did it on No. 11 – to drop to 3-under. Two holes later his birdie dropped him to 4-under, two-stroke ahead of Garski, who had completed his round.
But Hunt double-bogeyed No. 15 to fall into a tie with Garski and then parred the final three holes to force a sudden death playoff.
The playoff was the first to decide a state championship since Osceola’s Charlie Danielson won the Division 2 title in 2012.
The playoff was played on holes No. 1 and No. 9.
Garski parred the hole first, leaving Hunt with about a 5-footer to bury to force the second hole. On the second hole of the playoff, Garski hit into a small bunker to the right off the tee and then miss-hit his approach to the green.
Hunt, meanwhile, reached the edge of the green in two and was just a little hard and to the right on a about a 10 footer for par. His tap in gave him the win. He was tearful afterward.
“To be able to defend is a special thing,” he said.
"I would have really liked to walk away from here with the team win. These guys on this team mean so much to me. It’s kind of bittersweet. I didn’t want be the only one to have (something) to celebrate.”
Marquette’s had three individuals in the top 15 of the the overall standings: Blair (fifth, 3-over 147), Lutze (tied for seventh, 4-over 148) and senior Ethan Graham (tied for 13th, 7-over 151).
And in the team race, all five players contributed to the final score. Blair, Graham and Lutze were among the team’s top four scorers each day. Senior Brady LeMonds had that distinction in Day 1. Sagrillo had it on Day 2.
“It felt amazing,” Blair said. “Last year was rough because it was tight and we just lost it at the end. This year on hole 14 I chipped in and that’s when I thought we had a chance to win it. It felt good.
“Hopefully we can do it again next year, get three out of four. But you learn to enjoy these moments. Golf is so hard that you’re not going to have a lot of success so you just enjoy it.”