The IHSA boys golf season tees off at Naperville Country Club for the 23rd Vern McGonagle championship. All six Naperville area teams are represented, including back-to-back City champs Waubonsie Valley, defending DuPage Valley Conference champs Neuqua Valley, and two-time defending regional champions, Benet Academy. The boys are playing only the back nine holes this year. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Neuqua and Waubonsie go one under in the opening holes
Adam Torreon from Waubonsie Valley is back for his senior season, and he gets off on the right foot with a birdie on hole 12 following a great fairway shot. Torreon golfs a 41.
Neuqua Valley’s Daniel Zhang also lines up for a birdie on the hole. It’s a long roll, but the tap is strong enough for the ball to find the cup.
His Wildcat teammate, Connor Rodebaugh, comes up with the shot of the day on the 12th green as he sinks a 25-footer for birdie.
On hole 13, Naperville Central’s Christian Hay chips off the grass, and the roll misses the pin. However, Hay pars from there to stay even on the par five, 13th hole.
Staying on 13 with Naperville North’s Trevor Schmidt, who lines up for par and sinks it to help the Huskies to their fourth-best score at 40.
Staying with the Huskies on 13 and with Zach Zafar. He hits off the rough over the pond and gets a favorable landing on the green. Zafar cracks the top 10 with a solid 38, one stroke behind the top score.
Aanish Kamdar stays in the hunt with a 13th hole birdie
We save the best for last on number 13 with Aanish Kamdar going one under and leading Waubonsie Valley with a 37 as he buries the lengthy birdie putt.
The Huskies continue to get more help from Henry Haumesser. He steps up for a long par attempt, and it finds the cup to stay even on the par four 16th hole.
Here is Graeme Cavanagh from Naperville Central, ready for a long par. He keeps it together and putts in his fourth shot on the hole and tallies the Redhawks’ best score at 38.
Benet Academy sophomore Luke Donovan wraps up hole 16, going one under after his birdie shot curves in. Donovan golfs a 37, the lowest score on the round for the Redwings, and another tie for the top spot on the leaderboard. Cam Colleran finishes second for Benet with a 41.
We move to the 17th hole as Lincoln Schultz steadies the ship for the Huskies by securing a par on the long and challenging par three.
Despite being in the rough, Brady Chung for Neuqua Valley gets out of the mess by chipping onto the green and close to the pin. Chung takes seventh with a score of 39.
Over to hole 18, where Jackson Persin is one of two Redhawks to take a top ten finish on the day. He pars and takes a 39.
Naperville North takes home its first boys golf McGonagle since 2014
Haumesser looks to end his round on a high note. Despite not connecting on the chip, he still makes par to end his day with a 37, leading Naperville North boys golf to its first Vern McGonagle city championship since 2014 with a team score of 154. Naperville Central takes second place, just four strokes back, with Waubonsie Valley in third and Neuqua Valley fourth. Metea Valley is led on the day by Griffin Lavery with a 46 and Alex Reed with a 47.
Despite a four-way tie, Daniel Zhang for Neuqua takes the top individual spot after recording the best score of the four golfers with a birdie on hole 18.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
