Lennartz leads linksmen

The Indians had some hiccups on day No. 2.

There were some missed putts, hero shots that didn’t work out and other course management slip ups.

Despite the mistakes, they made it out with a victory and will look to continue finding ways to win while cleaning things up.

After a dominant season opener at the Mercer County Invite on Tuesday, Fort Recovery High School’s boys golf team cruised to a 171-208 victory over the Mississinawa Valley Blackhawks despite some miscues on Thursday morning at Portland Golf Club.

“I’m always proud of the guys,” FRHS coach Dean Sanders said. “They do a great job and are always working hard out there. They give every ounce on every hole and every shot.

“We took a few more penalty strokes than what we needed to obviously, so we need to work on course management. Also, I know a couple of guys were having trouble with putting. So, it looks though the short game and course management are a couple of things we really need to work on out here at Portland.”

One Indian 2ho didn’t have some of those struggles was match medalist Eli Lennartz.

The senior finished with a 5-over-par 40 by staying consistent throughout the match with five pars, three bogeys and one double-bogey. Lennartz edged out Mississinawa Valley’s Jackson Beanblossom for medalist honors by one stroke.

Lennartz took an approach of playing safely in the match, with two examples being the 354-yard, par-4 16th hole and the 344-yard, par-4 17th. On hole No. 16, Lennartz decided to aim for a shorter drive to land short of the creek 150 yards away from the hole. On the 17th, he played off to the left, closer to hole No. 2, to avoid the water hazard while still giving himself a look at the green.

Eli Lennartz, a senior at FRHS, watches his ball lip around the edge of the 12th hole Thursday at Portland Golf Club in a 171-208 victory over Mississinawa Valley. Lennartz earned match medalist honors by shooting a 40. (The Commercial Review/Andrew Balko)

 

“I’ve just kind of learned over the years that you don’t really need that (hero shot),” Lennartz said. “You can just lay up and have a better shot at the green and that’s what I’ve developed over time.”

Both cases worked out in Lennartz’s favor. He managed to par the 17th and just narrowly missed on the 16th. 

After his drive on the 16th, Lennartz’s second shot put him on the hill just to the right of the green. A chip put him about 8 feet away, but his putt rested on the edge of the cup, forcing him to tap it for a bogey.

“I had some good par saves while putting,” Lennartz said. “Those ones (that don’t fall) are tough, mainly because you always think about them on the next hole.”

Fort Recovery (1-0) also got a nice lift out of Riley Grieshop from the No. 5 position. The senior shot a 43 for the fourth-best round of the match and to score for the first time in his varsity career.

Grieshop, who Sanders praised for being one of his more consistent golfers, nearly shot a round of “bogey ball” but finished one stroke better as he also had one birdie and one double-bogey.

His birdie came on the 298-yard, par-5 12th hole when he made the green in regulation and one-putted.

He also one-putted on hole No. 18 to shoot for bogey after his drive ended long out of bounds forcing a drop.

“It feels pretty good, but I’m surprised because I didn’t think I’d do that good,” Grieshop said. “Usually I’m not that good on the greens but before the match, I was out on the practice green putting and I guess that helped a lot.”

Reece LeFevre had the No. 3 score of the match, contributing 42 strokes towards the Indians’ final. A strong drive and even better second shot helped set him up for a birdie on hole No. 14, a 520-yard, par-5.

Caleb Smith and Colson Post shot 46 to round out the Tribe’s final. Post’s best hole was a birdie on the 12th while Smith’s par on No. 13 was his highlight.

Keegan Muhlenkamp had an off round, finishing with a 47. It marked the first time the senior didn’t contribute to the team score since Sept. 7, 2023.

“I don’t worry about the guys, because they are excellent golfers,” Sanders said. “Today was a difficult day for them. Obviously there were some bad breaks and course management issues. … I don’t doubt they’ll bounce back and do just fine in upcoming matches.”