Sophomore Owen Carmichael was among the young players who continued to step up for the Rochelle Hub varsity golf team this week.
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ROCHELLE — Sophomore Owen Carmichael was among the young players who continued to step up for the Rochelle Hub varsity golf team this week. One of four sophomores in the starting lineup, Carmichael fired a 42 out of the third slot as the Hubs scored nonconference victories over the Mendota Trojans and Amboy Clippers at Fairways Golf Course on Wednesday.
Rochelle recorded a season-low score of 164, while Mendota finished second with 174 and Amboy took third with 187. Junior Ian Metzger earned medalist honors for the Hubs (4-1, 1-0 Interstate 8), carding a 1-over-par 37 while sophomore Alex Dyer followed with a 4-over-par 40. Carmichael, who said his chipping and putting were the keys to success on Wednesday, has gained both experience and confidence after starting on varsity during his freshman year.
“It feels great to win today,” Carmichael said. “The guys above me are really encouraging me and helping me out. I didn’t have the best start to the season, but I kept my head up and I shot a 42 today… It was definitely a confidence booster knowing that I could play with the top players in my age group last season. I’ve become a lot more accurate with my irons and wedges. I’m hoping to keep shooting in the low-to-mid 40s and I want to keep improving my short game.”
Rochelle’s newcomers continued to deliver quality scores as well, with sophomore Connor Lewis carding a 45 out of the fifth slot while sophomore Johnny Chadwick added 50 out of the sixth slot. Senior Jacob Ost totaled 59 to round out the varsity lineup for the Hubs, who will travel and compete in the LaSalle-Peru Invitational at Senica’s Oak Ridge on Thursday.
“We definitely needed some younger players to step into the varsity lineup this season,” head coach Glen Mehrings said. “Connor and Johnny played a lot of golf this summer and they both play other sports. Connor’s competitive and he has a nice natural demeanor. He doesn’t get too excited and he doesn’t get too down on himself… Johnny has a willingness to learn and he takes instruction well. He and Connor don’t have any experience from last year to fall back on, so they’re learning on the fly and they’re trying to make corrections after each round."
The Hubs are off to a strong start this season, as their lone loss came against Dixon by just one stroke. As the season moves forward, Mehrings will look for his sophomore players, including Carmichael, to continue shooting low scores. Rochelle will resume Interstate 8 Conference play with a road match against the Morris Redskins at The Creek on Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 4 p.m.
“Owen takes instruction really well and he never gets ahead of himself,” Mehrings said. “He doesn’t try to bite off too much with any given shot and he minimizes his mistakes. That keeps him in the match and he likes to keep his ball in play, even if that means punching the ball down the fairway and chipping on to the green. It’s great that he has the cognitive headspace to map out how he wants to attack the course. He knows what he can and cannot do.”
