MEDFORD GOLF - Lingen wins Great Northern opener; tough day for team at Tomahawk

MEDFORD GOLF

Tuesday was a good day for Connor Lingen, but it wasn’t the best of rounds for the rest of the Medford Raiders, who finished seventh in the first Great Northern Conference golf meet of the season, hosted by Tomahawk at Inshalla Country Club.

Lingen won the individual competition by shooting a 73 on the par-70 course. Starting on the 15th hole, Lingen had two pars and two bogeys, but then settled into a groove with four straight pars and completing the front nine with an even-par 35. He birdied the 511-yard, par-5 10th hole, which helped offset his only double-bogey of the day, which came on his last hole, the par-3 14th. He shot a 38 on the back nine.

Lingen beat Lakeland’s Jack Rubo by one shot, Matt Haggart by two shots and Gray Wagner by three.

Those three led Lakeland to yet another dominant start in league play. The T-Birds, looking for the program’s sixth straight GNC title, won the meet with a team score of 315, well ahead of runner-up Mosinee, who finished at 338 and was led by its 2023 GNC Player of the Year Jett Walters, who was fifth Tuesday with a 77. Tomahawk’s Austin Lamer and Antigo’s Ean Perry tied for sixth with 80s.

The golfers got their round in around some mid-afternoon rain and thundershowers.

Northland Pines was third with a team score of 347, followed by Rhinelander (350), Tomahawk (366), Antigo (368) and Medford (372).

The Raiders got a 91 out of senior Riley Viergutz that was good for an 18th-place tie with Samuel Schrock of Northland Pines. His highlight was parring all four par-5 holes on the course.

Senior Aidan Ball tied Rhinelander’s Chase West for 30th at 102, junior Grant Neubauer was 33rd at 106 and senior Cameron Bull was 34th at 110 in his first varsity appearance.

Tuesday’s meet was the first of four in a fourday stretch for Medford, who was at the Sheboygan Falls Invitational played at The Bull on Wednesday. The Medford Invitational is set for noon today, Thursday, at Black River Golf Course and the Raiders will host the second GNC meet of the season there on Friday at 3 p.m.

The Raiders are scheduled to play at Lake Arrowhead May 1 for the Nekoosa Invitational and will be at Rhinelander for GNC meet number three on May 2.