Greenhill leads Wildcats to first golf title in seven years

Genoa and Woodmore shared Northern Buckeye Conference boys golf co-championships, but it was the Comets’ fourth straight and first in seven years for the Wildcats.

Woodmore had won three of four nine-hole league shootouts, but Genoa won the league tournament to even the final accumulated score at 44 points each.

“We had a good league season. It was a bitter-sweet championship for those guys this year, said Woodmore coach Rodger Jimison, adding that his golfers were disappointed they could not hold on to win the final tournament.

“They wanted to win it outright, but they accomplished something that six teams prior didn’t accomplish,” Jimison said.

Senior Danny Greenhill, who was NBC Player of the Year as a sophomore and runner-up the last two years, shot 44-38—82 for the Wildcats.

“We had a rough go in the last shootout and the tournament, but hey, we got a championship and Danny had a great season. He started out really hot the first couple weeks of the season, then I don’t know what happened — he kind of struggled a little bit at times, but kept his composure.  He was player of the Year two years ago and two years as runner-up, so he had a pretty good career, too,” Jimison said.

“The first tournament I hosted at Green Hills on the first day of the season, he shot a 69. He can go low there. It’s a mentally-tough course,” Jimison added, noting that Greenhill’s score was 13 strokes higher in the league tournament than the season-opener at the same course. Jimison added that anything can happen on the golf course in any given day.

“You never know — it could be the wind direction, or they didn’t mow because something broke down, and stuff like that,” Jimison said.

Jimison said Greenhill is looking at college options and will continue playing in American Junior Golf Association Tournaments once his high school career is over.

“He wants to continue playing after his high school career, but we have a few big tournaments coming up yet,” Jimison said. “We have the Ottawa County — that is always big for me, you know. That was always big back in the day — you had the league championship, the Ottawa County and then the sectional and districts. We’re going to go play Mohawk in the Van Buren Tournament and then we’ll play Sawmill Creek in the Edison tournament, so we have some big ones coming up yet — some good competition.”

‘Cats dominate shootouts

In league play, Genoa senior Tommy Giles averaged 37.5 points per nine holes and he is joined on the first team by his teammate, Joey Large (42.4), Greenhill averaged 38.6, and the first team is rounded out by Lake’s Ben Luoma (41.5) and Eastwood’s Zach Buehler (43.3). First and second team selections are determined by accumulated points in league shootouts, not on scoring averages.

Local second team selections include Woodmore’s Aaron Miller (41.5), Genoa’s Jake Ewerson (42.2) and Eastwood’s Adam Graber (42.8) and Tristan Schuerman (44.2).

Earning honorable mention honors are Woodmore’s Ian Jacobson (44.0), Duane Perkins (45.3) and Landon Emch (46.1), Genoa’s John Huston (47.5), Eastwood’s Trent Marten (46.9) and Lake’s Aaron Lockname (47.2).

Woodmore won the first shootout at Sugar Creek Golf Course in Elmore, scoring 166 to beat second place Genoa (174), Greenhill was medalist, shooting a 36, and he was followed by teammates Jacobson (42), Miller (42), Emch (49) and Perkins (46).

The Wildcats won the second shootout at Crosswinds Golf Course in Perrysburg Township, shooting 157 to defeat the second place Comets (161). Giles was medalist, shooting a 37, but for the Wildcats, Greenhill shot 38, Jacobson 39, Miller and Perkins both shot 40 and Emch shot 45.

The third shootout, at Hidden Hills Golf Course outside Woodville, was also narrowly won by Woodmore, 158-160, over the Comets. Greenhill was medalist with a 34, followed by Miller (40), Perkins (41), Jacobson (43), and Emch (43).

Eastwood won the final shootout at Stone Ridge Golf Course in Bowling Green, scoring a 176 to defeat Genoa (181) and Woodmore (185). Giles was medalist, shooting a 39.

For the Eagles, Buehler shot 43, Graber and Schuerman both shot 44, Marten shot 47 and Ethan Edelbrock shot 49.