DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
Many of the area teams played a round of 18 holes Tuesday at Cross Creek, giving them 36 holes over two days, with most golfers spending more time on the course in this early-season baptism by fire than they have so far in practice. With the start of the school year barreling towards them and an odd IHSAA calendar for 2024-25, most of the teams will take a look at performances and areas of improvement and spend several practices tweaking golf games before another nine-hole match is played.
Norwell, the most experienced team in the field at Cross Creek this year, won comfortably again, beating Bluffton by 31 strokes with three of the top four finishers, but the Tigers did take home a consolation prize with Emma Schwartz winning medalist honors with a great round of 80.
Schwartz was on fire for the Front Nine, recording bogeys on No. 1 & 2 and then reeling off seven straight pars for a 37. She was also the medalist Monday with an 82.
The only player in the field to better Schwartz’s mark of 43 on the back nine was Norwell’s Ellie Gatton, who shot 39 on the back and finished with an 83 as the runner-up on the day individually. Gatton birdied both the 11th hole (a par 3) and the 18th (a par 5).
Gatton trimmed five shots from Monday’s score to take second place.
Kylee Nevius and freshman Emma Burnau each progressed for Norwell, as well, by breaking 100 at Cross Creek, something they were close to doing at Wabash Valley Monday.
Adams Central Londyn Smith, playing as the Jets’ No. 1, equaled her round of 98 from Monday for a fifth-place finish.
Four out of five Bellmont players lowered their 18-hole scores from Monday’s round, with Ella Hockemeyer leading the way with a 105.
Sophomore Kinley Martin shot a 108 for the Braves.
For Heritage, it was a round of 106 for Alexis Bremer. That was eight strokes better than her round in Geneva. The Patriots were led by seniors Bremer and Aubree Rebeck, who shot 117.
Team Scores
1st-Norwell 369
2nd-Bluffton 400
3rd-Adams Central 454
4th-Bellmont 455
5th-Jay County 465
6th-Heritage 473
About the Author
