The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Welton leads Dutchmen to third in Ida challenge
Manchester squeaks past Hanover-Horton in first league meet
By Ed Patino, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: April 17, 2008
After finishing with the best scoring average in the Cascades Conference last year, senior Justin Welton has picked up where he left off.
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Welton led all scorers again April 12 and helped the Manchester varsity golf team to a third place finish in the Ida Stableford Challenge held at Green Meadows Golf Club.
The Flying Dutchmen scored 75 points to place third in the 10-team event. Host Ida won the event with 107 points, while Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central took second with 90 points. Manchester finished well ahead of fourth-place Woodhaven, which scored 53 points.
With the teams battling the rain and wind, Welton carded a round of 75 for the Dutchmen to earn medallist honors.
Welton beat out Erie Mason's Jordan Kalmbach, who posted a 75, for the top score of the day. His score accounted for 42 of Manchester's stableford points.
"Justin was just remarkable given the conditions," Manchester coach John Wilkins said. "You could not have had a worse day to play golf with the rain and the wind. But everyone had to play in the same conditions."
Freshman Nik Stetler was second on the team with an 84, while Travis Stemen added an 85. Stetler's round added 20 points to Manchester's team score and Stemen brought in 15 more points with his score.
Rob Ford carded a round of 94 for Manchester. Ryan Sanners (97) and Alex Wallace (103) rounded out the scores for the Dutchmen.
"We could've played better, but the conditions were difficult," Wilkins said. "I'm happy with the start of the season, and hoping for better weather."
Ida used balanced scoring to win the challenge. Bryan Spotts carded a 78 to lead the Bluestreaks, while Andrew Biehle and Noel Miller each added rounds of 81. Matt Nelson posted an 82 for Ida.
Other area teams that competed in the event were Hudson, which scored 40 points for sixth place, and Milan, which took seventh with 25 points.
The Dutchmen competed Tuesday in a Cascades Conference Jamboree hosted by East Jackson. The event took place after the newspaper's deadline. Manchester will host an invitational April 22 at Rustic Glen Golf Course.
Dutchmen at Grass Lake
Balanced scoring helped the Manchester varsity golf team begin its defense of the Cascades Conference crown on a high note April 8.
The Flying Dutchmen scored 163 points as a team to win the season opening Cascades Jamboree hosted by Grass Lake at Waterloo Golf Course.
Manchester edged out Hanover-Horton, which finished second with 165. Vandercook Lake took third with 167, while Napoleon was fourth with 170. Addison (fifth, 176), Michigan Center (sixth, 187), East Jackson (seventh, 198) and the host Warriors (eighth, 212) rounded out the team scores.
"It was close, but I'm happy that we were able to come out in first," Manchester coach John Wilkins said. "I'm happy with the way the guys played, and it's nice to start off the year with a win."
Welton led the Dutchmen with a round of 39. He tied for second overall with Hanover-Horton's Michael Stevens and Addison's Jon Binns. Vandercook Lake's Ken Strohm carded a 35 to earn medallist honors.
Nik Stetler and Travis Stemen each carded a 40 for Manchester, while Rob Ford overcame a rough start on the first hole to post a 44. Ryan Sannes and Trevor Smith also competed for the Dutchmen, each finishing with a 56.
"Justin was really solid and Nik and Travis played well," Wilkins said. "A lot of teams didn't have scores under 44."
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