WIAA DIV. 2 GOLF SECTIONAL - Great round gets Hintz in playoff, where he’s sunk by long putt
Medford Raider golfer Zachary Hintz concluded his prep career on June 4 with what most would agree was the best round of his prep career.
Calm, cool and consistent, Hintz conquered the Hayward Golf Course for a 2-over-par 74 during the WIAA Division 2 sectional meet and put himself into position to earn the last of three individual state berths that were awarded at the meet.
But, on the first hole of a three-man playoff for that last spot, St. Croix Central junior Bradie Rasmussen hit the shot of the meet, a putt that Medford assistant coach Caleb Heckel estimated to be from 35-40 feet, that gave him a birdie and the playoff win over Hintz and Tomahawk’s Sawyer Hanna.
Medford head coach Matt Haase noted Hintz may have set some kind of record as this was the second time he was denied a state spot in a sectional playoff. It also happened his freshman year at Antigo, when he came up short in a three-man playoff for two spots.
Heckel accompanied Hintz to last week’s meet and said the senior’s final round was truly impressive.
“His front nine was basically flawless,” Heckel said. “He had just one little hiccup. His putting was amazing. He had a birdie on hole two and he made a big birdie on 18 to make it into the playoff.”
Hintz was one of 12 golfers who qualified for the sectional as a top-four individual finisher in regional competition. Those individuals teed off first at Hayward. Hintz parred the first hole, got his birdie and bogey and then parred the next six holes to finish the front nine at an even-par 36. After parring the par-4 10th, he had back-to-back bogeys on the par-4 11th and par-3 12th, then rattled off four straight pars before going bogey, birdie to close out the round.
On the 370-yard 18th, Hintz’s drive went slightly right into the rough, but he came back with a perfect wedge shot that put him within a couple of feet of the cup and he knocked in the birdie.
Heckel and Hintz knew the 74 would at least put him in contention for a state berth, but they had to wait out the results from the 12 full squads that teed off after Hintz before they knew for certain where he stood. The team results were also a huge factor because the three individual state spots go to players who are not on the meet’s two state-qualifying team. The team chase came down to Prescott, Lakeland and La Crosse Aquinas.
“It was tough for Zach because he had about a three-hour wait before everyone finished,” Heckel said. “It was a threeteam battle for the two state spots and it had to work out perfectly.”
It did with Prescott winning the meet with a team score of 312, Lakeland taking second at 314 and Aquinas falling to third at 316. Altoona’s Elliot Skinner and Lakeland’s Davis Kock tied for first place with 70s with Kock winning the title playoff. Skinner got the first individual state spot. Lakeland’s Jeremy Hensen, Prescott’s Tyler Reiter and Hayward’s Liam Aldoff tied for third with 73s with Aldoff claiming individual state berth number two. That left Hintz, Hanna and Rasmussen tied as individual state candidates with their 73s.
The playoff started on the par-4, 430yard 10th hole.
“Zach hit a perfect drive. He said he had no nerves at all, which was great,” Heckel said. “His iron shot was a little chunky, but he still put it about 15 feet away. He was actually in a better position.”
In fact, Heckel said Hintz and Hanna were in nearly identical spots after their second shots. Rasmussen sat on the backside of the green and had the first putt being the farthest out. He somehow sank it, meaning Hintz and Hanna had to make their putts as well to stay alive. Heckel said Hintz’s missed by a half-inch.
“He played it perfect,” Heckel said. “He left his heart out there. We said before the meet, let’s just have a good time and that it was a good day to have a good day, and he did.”
Hintz’s sectional round ends a season that included an individual championship in the first Great Northern Conference meet, second-team All-GNC honors and the top score among the individual qualifiers from the Northwestern regional. He golfed in the sectional meet in all three of his varsity seasons.
“He’s one of the few Raiders that I know of to have a nine-hole average under 40,” Haase said. “I think it was 39.8 or 39.7. He was at his best under pressure in a do-ordie meet.”
Rice Lake and St. Croix Central tied for fourth in the team standings with 320s while Northland Pines was sixth at 323. Ryder Will led Pines with a 77 that tied him for 12th individually.
