Putnam leads young Gaylord golf team in two weekend tournaments
FRANKENMUTH ― The Gaylord golf team is working with many younger players this year, with plenty of underclassmen making up the roster and appearing on the final scorecards.
This weekend was an excellent opportunity for them to get some work in with back-to-back tournaments, with the Blue Devils varsity team traveling to the Fortress Golf Course in Frankenmuth on Friday, April 28 before the JV team joined them at the Big North Conference Invite hosted by Traverse City West on Saturday, April 29.
However, it was senior Kole Putnam leading the team's performances, per usual.
The 2022 All-State Honoree consistently finishes atop the scorecards, giving the Blue Devils a much-needed boost in every tournament he plays in. That was no different at the Fortress on Friday as he turned in the top score of the tournament, carding an even-par 72 overall on the day.
"We were once again led by one of the best players in the state, Kole Putnam," head coach Tom Johnson said. "I can’t say enough how nice it is to know that we will always have one of the very best players in the tournaments we play in."
His performance helped Gaylord finish tenth among 17 teams in attendance and fifth among Division 2 teams. The rest of Gaylord's top four were all freshmen and sophomores, with sophomore Luke Somerville (89), sophomore Gage Caverson (91) and freshman Aythen Kent (97) giving the Blue Devils a combined score of 349.
The Fortress is this year's Divison 2 State Finals host, giving Putnam's impressive performance even more meaning as the season progresses.
Meanwhile, the BNC Invite at Interlochen on Saturday provided the younger players an opportunity to show their stuff on a difficult course. They competed well without their senior leader, shooting a combined 377 for the day, good for fifth of the six BNC teams in attendance.
Without Putnam leading the way, the youngsters set their own pace, led by Somerville (91), Kent (92), Brandt Hogerheide (96), Caverson (98), Marshall Krajniak (104) and Leeland Fox (105).
TC Central won the day with a combined score of 303, followed by TC West 315, Alpena 342, Petoskey 374, Gaylord 377 and Cadillac 382. The top five individual scores came from Winslow Robinson (TCW, 72), Boston Price (TCC, 73), Michael Beattie (TCC, 76), Graham Peters (TCC, 77) and Mack Shane (TCC, 77).
The JV team also had some nice individual performers, led by Landen Platte (118), James Koscielniak (127), Addison McDonald (138) and Calvin White (140). Overall, Coach Johnson was happy with the improvements the entire program has shown so far this season.
"All these scores were very good for this young squad, another great learning experience," Johnson said.
Gaylord has a busy week ahead of them, with the Cadillac BNC Invite at Cadillac Country Club on Wednesday, May 3, the West Branch Invite at West Branch Country Club Thursday, May 4 and the Gaylord BNC Invite at the Tradition Treetops North on Saturday, May 6.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Putnam leads young Gaylord golf team in two weekend tournaments
