The 2023 Riverside Brookfield High School boys golf lineup was among the youngest in Jim Festle’s eight seasons as head coach. The Bulldogs also were among the most successful and appear poised for more.
“There’s a lot of seniors and juniors and we have four very good players, which I’ve never said before,” Festle said. “And then we have another four or five after that, so a lot of depth, which I’ve never been able to say before.”
Seniors Josh Udelson and Ben O’Brien and junior Connor Dominick were 2023 Class 3A individual sectional qualifiers — and seniors Brady McCallum and Cal Milchhoefer also return from the regional lineup.
Add senior Mike Oppegard and junior Ronnie Murray as varsity returnees and promising sophomore Oliver Fakhoury, and the Bulldogs hope to contend for at least a team sectional berth and excel in their debut as part of the Upstate Eight Conference with 14 teams and two divisions.
They opened Friday by shooting 314 at the Payton College Prep Invite, led by McCallum (77), Dominick (78) and Udelson (79).
Festle said they and Oppegard are off to the strongest starts. When the Bulldogs won last year’s four-team Metro Suburban Conference for their first conference title, those four plus graduated MVP Joey Garvey were among the 10 all-conference golfers based on dual and MSC Meet results.
“Part of the success is they’re athletes [as a whole] and a lot of two-sport guys,” Festle said. “We’re at the mercy of the state where we go [postseason]. It definitely will be a goal to advance as a team to sectionals. I’m thinking 310, more times than not, will advance to sectionals. But we’re deep. It’s going to be nice to pencil in two to three scores in the 70s all of the time.”
At 2023 sectionals, Dominick (81) and Udelson (82) had the Bulldogs’ top scores, and O’Brien shot 87. Udelson also reached sectionals in 2022, shooting 92.
At the Glenbrook North Regional, fourth-place RBHS (322) was 27 strokes from the third and final qualifying spot. Dominick (80), Udelson (81) and O’Brien (82) were among the 10 individual sectional qualifiers not among the three advancing teams with graduated Joey Garvey. McCallum (85) was two strokes from the individual cut.
LTHS boys golf
Senior Anderson Palm and junior Finley Tyrrell had the best scores during 2023 tryouts for the Lyons Township boys golf team.
Last week, the pair once again excelled.
Palm’s 11-under-par for three rounds in favorable conditions was the best score in roughly a decade of tryouts at Prairie Bluff Golf Course.
“They played well,” LTHS coach Brian Kopecky said. “There was hardly any wind for the three days. Especially for a links course, if there’s wind, that makes a difference.”
The duo pace another talented group with high hopes after starting with a third-place 300 at the Edwardsville Invitational Thursday at The Den in Bloomington, site of the 3A state tournament, Oct. 18-19.
Tyrrell was the Lions’ lone 3A state qualifier last year, tying for 33rd with a 158 (84-74) after tying for eighth at the LT Sectional (par-72). Palm is in his third varsity season and would have played varsity as a freshman if not for being injured.
“They’ve got to lead the way for us,” Kopecky said. “If they play well, and I think we’re deep enough and have got a lot of good players, then we’ve got a chance to play with the big dogs.”
The Lions last reached state as a team in 2021. In another tough sectional field in 2023, the Lions’ 303 was three strokes from the third and final team qualifier, yet still tied for sixth.
Senior Tommy Niemiec also returns from the sectional lineup. Other varsity returnees include seniors Miles Rakvin and Ben Couture and sophomore Charlie Forrest. Key newcomers include sophomore Ben Hare, juniors Jack Curran and Garrett Pohl and freshman Cohen Bloomfield.
“The big thing with this group is the competition because they’re so close with their scores [at tryouts],” Kopecky said.
At 2023 sectionals, Palm (77) was two strokes from the playoff for the last individual state-qualifying berth. At the Rolling Meadows Regional, Palm (72) was fifth and Tyrrell (77) was the Lions’ fourth counting score for the second-place Lions (302).
The Lions finished second at the West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet (299) to Hinsdale Central, second in 3A. Palm (72, 4th on scorecard tiebreaker) was a top-14, all-conference medalist. Niemiec (79), Forrest (80) and Tyrrell (81) also competed.