The Tigers golf team has shown promise but must put everything together for the postseason

By Paul Lecker

Sports Reporter

MARSHFIELD — The Marshfield boys golf team has been stuck in the middle of the pack in the Wisconsin Valley Conference this season, but with the WIAA regional at its home course next week, the Tigers have high hopes for the postseason.

Marshfield enters the seventh and final leg of the season-long Wisconsin Valley Conference Tournament on Friday at Wausau Country Club in a tie for fourth place in the team standings with D.C. Everest.

The Tigers finished second in a meet at Stevens Point on May 1 but have been no better than fourth in any of the other five meets. Marshfield was fifth on its home course at RiverEdge Golf Course on Tuesday despite a first-place performance by Derek Michalski, who shot an eight-over par 80.

“When we played at Point in the first round of conference, we shot our season-best (335) at that point and played real well,” Marshfield coach Paul Foegen said. “We almost beat Point at Point, which was a big thing for us to try accomplish that. We went to Sparta (the next day) and took second (with a 322) behind a powerful Middleton team that’s always at the state tournament. Derek was medalist (even par 72), and we were feeling pretty good. The last three conference meets we haven’t played quite as well as we think we’re capable of playing.”

Michalski is in sixth place in the individual standings after his medalist finish on Tuesday and needs a small miracle to move into the top five and finish as a first-team all-conference performer. He, along with Zach Shortess, have solid shots at second-team all-WVC. Shortess is in 10th entering the final meet.

Michalski said he is hoping his good round on Tuesday can carry over into the WIAA Division 1 regional, which will be at RiverEdge on May 26. The top four teams and top five finishers not on those teams qualify for the sectional at Stevens Point Country Club on June 2.

“It’s always fun to play your home course,” Michalski said. “You have a little advantage going in, and it’s going to be great playing here at regionals.”

Foegen said the Tigers have to find the ability to play consistently and not let one bad hole blow up a round.

“It’s one big hole a person,” Foegen said. “We’ve made too many mistakes, making big scores on one hole. We play 13 or 14 holes pretty well, but then we have a couple of double bogeys or a triple bogey, a bad hole that kind of ruins the round.”

Paul Lecker is publisher of MarshfieldAreaSports.com, a contributor to Hub City Times Sports. You can reach him by email at [email protected]