MADISON - Monroe's boys golf team fell below coach Jeriamy Jackson's expectations Monday and out of state contention. The team failed to qualify for state by 29 strokes, and no individuals advanced on a sunny, humid day at the par-72 Yahara Hills Golf Course.
Brodhead's Jake Cole shot a 77 to tie for the third qualifying spot, only to lose to Jade Royston of Wisconsin Dells in the tiebreaker.
"We came in with a formula," Monroe head coach Jeriamy Jackson said. "We wanted Aaron Krattiger and Kyle Bruce to shoot an 85 or lower than that, and we wanted Brandon Wilson and Mitch McArdle to shoot in the mid-70s to give us a chance at sitting under 320 as a team."
Because of team seeding, the Cheesemakers played with River Valley and North Fond du Lac during the morning round. So, despite many of Monroe's players performing at a better level, they were matched up with a pair of teams that seemed slightly less superior.
"It's hard not to play down to your competition. We knew we had to play our best game," Jackson said.
Bruce, a freshman, led off play for the Cheesemakers, playing with River Valley's Nate Achterberg and North Fond du Lac's Jarrod Marose. Bruce's 84 topped Achterberg's 85 for the top spot in the group.
"(An 84) gets my confidence up. With not that many kids going out next year, it puts pressure on me. I'm going to have to shoot a little better to make up," Bruce said.
Senior Garrett Voegeli's 91 beat River Valley's Zach Sjogren by a stroke in the fourth group, and tied North Fond du Lac's Aaron Warner.
"I played pretty well, but I wanted to break 90. That was about my average all year. The course was tough, though. There were big greens and I had a lot of putts," Voegeli said.
Krattiger, a senior and Monroe's No. 3 player, also shot an 84, winning his group, but behind his own expectations.
"I could have played better, that's for sure. I hit some bad shots that I should have hit well," Krattiger said.
Another Cheesemaker senior, Mitch McArdle, had an anomaly on the course in the No. 2 position. McArdle usually has a sure swing, and rarely racks up many bogeys. However, McArdle caught a case of the shanks and carded an 88.
"Right now I'm not on cloud nine to say the least - probably about cloud one," McArdle said. "I was frustrated out there, but there was nothing I could do. I wanted to put it close to the pin, but it would just never go."
Jackson knows that tough times will hit every golfer, and when a ball is shanked, the thought can linger in a player's mind.
"It's extremely tough to mentally get over that, because you never know when it's going to happen again. (Shanks are) something that just get in the back of your mind. Even if you hit a perfect drive, that shot is going to be in the back of your mind, and you might change your swing even slightly on the down-swing and do it again," Jackson said.
On the par-3 third hole, McArdle shanked his drive into weeds well to the right side of the green. His second shot from the tee went in the same spot. After retrieving his ball, his recovery shot ran past the green. He finished the hole with a 5-over-par 8.
"Any time you shoot a 5-over on a par 3, it's tough," Jackson said.
By the seventh hole, McArdle was sitting at 9-over-par. He would finish the front nine at 11-over. On the back nine, he regrouped, including a late birdie on the par-4 15th after his approach came within feet of the pin. His drive on 16 cleared a bunker, which sits about 240 yards out, and he had himself positioned for another great approach.
"I landed right in a divot, which offset me a little. Then I hit it poorly again," McArdle said. He finished the final three holes by shooting 5-over-par.
"It's kind of tough to know that today was probably my final round of high school golf. I just didn't have any luck today, even though it's my birthday," McArdle, now 19, said.
Wilson, a senior and Monroe's No. 1 player, finished with an 80. Wilson found himself 2-over through six holes, and a bogey-bogey finish on eight and nine only added to the frustrations.
"I thought I was going to shoot even or maybe even get a couple of birdies on the back," he said.
Wilson pared the first six holes of the back nine, and was on pace for a 76, which would have qualified for state. However, he shot a double bogey on both the 16th and the 18th to drop out of contention.
"I probably played a little aggressive at the end, I was trying to make a birdie," he said.
Cole, on the other hand, was pleased with his day, despite having to wait around and eventually lose in a playoff.
"It was kind of different playing without my teammates, but it still feels good to be here," Cole said. After shooting a 5-over-par on the front nine, Cole shot even on the back.
Madison Edgewood won the meet with a top-four score of 292. McFarland (317) placed second and Wisconsin Dells third (325).
Brodhead's Jake Cole shot a 77 to tie for the third qualifying spot, only to lose to Jade Royston of Wisconsin Dells in the tiebreaker.
"We came in with a formula," Monroe head coach Jeriamy Jackson said. "We wanted Aaron Krattiger and Kyle Bruce to shoot an 85 or lower than that, and we wanted Brandon Wilson and Mitch McArdle to shoot in the mid-70s to give us a chance at sitting under 320 as a team."
Because of team seeding, the Cheesemakers played with River Valley and North Fond du Lac during the morning round. So, despite many of Monroe's players performing at a better level, they were matched up with a pair of teams that seemed slightly less superior.
"It's hard not to play down to your competition. We knew we had to play our best game," Jackson said.
Bruce, a freshman, led off play for the Cheesemakers, playing with River Valley's Nate Achterberg and North Fond du Lac's Jarrod Marose. Bruce's 84 topped Achterberg's 85 for the top spot in the group.
"(An 84) gets my confidence up. With not that many kids going out next year, it puts pressure on me. I'm going to have to shoot a little better to make up," Bruce said.
Senior Garrett Voegeli's 91 beat River Valley's Zach Sjogren by a stroke in the fourth group, and tied North Fond du Lac's Aaron Warner.
"I played pretty well, but I wanted to break 90. That was about my average all year. The course was tough, though. There were big greens and I had a lot of putts," Voegeli said.
Krattiger, a senior and Monroe's No. 3 player, also shot an 84, winning his group, but behind his own expectations.
"I could have played better, that's for sure. I hit some bad shots that I should have hit well," Krattiger said.
Another Cheesemaker senior, Mitch McArdle, had an anomaly on the course in the No. 2 position. McArdle usually has a sure swing, and rarely racks up many bogeys. However, McArdle caught a case of the shanks and carded an 88.
"Right now I'm not on cloud nine to say the least - probably about cloud one," McArdle said. "I was frustrated out there, but there was nothing I could do. I wanted to put it close to the pin, but it would just never go."
Jackson knows that tough times will hit every golfer, and when a ball is shanked, the thought can linger in a player's mind.
"It's extremely tough to mentally get over that, because you never know when it's going to happen again. (Shanks are) something that just get in the back of your mind. Even if you hit a perfect drive, that shot is going to be in the back of your mind, and you might change your swing even slightly on the down-swing and do it again," Jackson said.
On the par-3 third hole, McArdle shanked his drive into weeds well to the right side of the green. His second shot from the tee went in the same spot. After retrieving his ball, his recovery shot ran past the green. He finished the hole with a 5-over-par 8.
"Any time you shoot a 5-over on a par 3, it's tough," Jackson said.
By the seventh hole, McArdle was sitting at 9-over-par. He would finish the front nine at 11-over. On the back nine, he regrouped, including a late birdie on the par-4 15th after his approach came within feet of the pin. His drive on 16 cleared a bunker, which sits about 240 yards out, and he had himself positioned for another great approach.
"I landed right in a divot, which offset me a little. Then I hit it poorly again," McArdle said. He finished the final three holes by shooting 5-over-par.
"It's kind of tough to know that today was probably my final round of high school golf. I just didn't have any luck today, even though it's my birthday," McArdle, now 19, said.
Wilson, a senior and Monroe's No. 1 player, finished with an 80. Wilson found himself 2-over through six holes, and a bogey-bogey finish on eight and nine only added to the frustrations.
"I thought I was going to shoot even or maybe even get a couple of birdies on the back," he said.
Wilson pared the first six holes of the back nine, and was on pace for a 76, which would have qualified for state. However, he shot a double bogey on both the 16th and the 18th to drop out of contention.
"I probably played a little aggressive at the end, I was trying to make a birdie," he said.
Cole, on the other hand, was pleased with his day, despite having to wait around and eventually lose in a playoff.
"It was kind of different playing without my teammates, but it still feels good to be here," Cole said. After shooting a 5-over-par on the front nine, Cole shot even on the back.
Madison Edgewood won the meet with a top-four score of 292. McFarland (317) placed second and Wisconsin Dells third (325).
