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Newman unseats Ottawa atop Mendota Ryder Cup leaderboard · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Newman unseats Ottawa atop Mendota Ryder Cup leaderboard. This
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  article is being read by an automated voice, brought to you by
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  Everlit. The Ottawa Boys Golf Team's five-year run at the top of
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  the Mendota Modified Ryder Cup's standings came to an end Saturday, as
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  Newman Central Catholic emerged with a two-stroke victory in the 12-team event
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  at Mendota Golf Club. The Comets finished with a 225, just two
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  strokes ahead of Ottawa. The Pirates shot 227 and were awarded second
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  place in a tiebreaker overhaul. Each team entered three pairs of two
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  golfers, playing three different formats. The first six holes featured modified alternate
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  shot play, followed by six holes of better ball play, and a
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  two man scramble format for the final six holes. It all kind
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  of came together today, Newman assistant Michael Schmidt said. We've been struggling
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  with inconsistency throughout the year and today it was clicking. I think
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  the partnership aspect of this is excellent, because our boys feed off
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  each other. Winners of every Mendota Ryder Cup since 2021, Ottawa had
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  to rally to get back into contention Saturday. The Pirates struggled on
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  the early holes. And trailed by 10 shots at the turn. We
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  got off to a rough start on the alternating shot holes, said
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  Ottawa head coach Keith Bunzowski. But we hung in there, and it
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  was nice to see how some of the guys finished on the
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  scramble hole They got some birdies and were really pumped up and
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  excited. A clutch final hole performance by Mendoza's Cam Polowski and Ashton's
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  Stamberger brought the Trojans a first place finish in the pairs competition.
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  The duo recorded a birdie on the Par 5'6th hole, a modified
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  alternate play hole that required each player to negotiate two accurate shots.
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  We just wanted to get two balls in play that would suffice,
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  and we could try and make something work, Paulowski said. We just
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  tried to be as smart as we could be. I chipped on,
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  and Ashton sank the putt for us. The Trojans one over par
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  score of 71 matched Hall's Noah Plim and Luke Bryant, and Mendota
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  was the first place two zomb in a scorecard playoff. Newman's Liam
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  Nicholas and Finsley Schmidt were just one stroke back in third, while
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  them Comets Jeff Thornmyer and Jacob Thornmeyer placed fourth, 73, and Ottawa's
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  Logan Cottagam and Bodie Martin came in fifth, 74. Stamberger and Pulowski
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  had a pretty rough start, Mendota head coach David Ross said. This
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  event is supposed to be a little more informal, but I stopped
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  then after the first three holes and toll and told them to
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  treat this event like you're trying to prepare for the regional and
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  have fun. But hit the right shots and swing the club the
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  way you're supposed to. And they responded. They birdied no one and
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  two in alternate shot, which is very hard to do, and then
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  they birdied number six to seal the deal. Stamberger noted a home
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  course.
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  Advantage as he and Pulowski sized up their final hole. We knew,
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  since we'd gotten a lot of rain, we were going to be
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  able to go at pins a little more and play more aggressively,
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  so he said. On your home course, you know where to miss.
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  Especially an alternate shot, it makes it a lot easier to know
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  the layout of the course. Morris Tyler Ronaldo and Braden Wickeser finished
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  sixth, seventy five, while a four way tie for seventh place, seventy
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  six, included Joe Perez and Sammy Acosta of Hall, Briar Harris and
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  Josh Armstrong of Ottawa, Lucas Porter and Corbin Cooksie of Rock Falls,
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  and Michael Jones and Paxton Newson. Mendota finished fourth in the team
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  competition, 237, followed by La Salle Peru in 5th, 244, and Morris
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  in 6th, 247. Bureau Valley finished 8th, 255. Princeton
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  placed 9th, 256. Rockfalls followed in 11th, 259, and Henry Senequine
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  rounded out the field in 12th, 267. The event closed the regular
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  season as Zisha Regional play is set for Wednesday. Ottawa hosts a
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  Class 2A regional at Deer Park Country Club in Auglesby, Mendota hosts
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  a Class 1A regional at Mendota Golf Club, and Rock Falls hosts
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  a 1A event at Deer Valley Golf Club in Deer Grove.