NORTON SHORES — Reeths-Puffer didn’t ascend to the top spot as a team in Wednesday’s GMAA tournament, but Rocket senior Dylan Panozzo delivered in a big way, shooting an 80 to pick up medalist honors at Oak Ridge Golf Club.
R-P settled for second place, with a team score of 350 - 10 strokes behind champion Mona Shores.
Panozzo started strong, with a birdie on the first hole. He ran into trouble with four straight holes of a bogey or double bogey from holes 6-9, but bounced back with a birdie on the 12th hole and then chipped in from 80 yards away to score an eagle on the 13th.
“I am very proud and happy for Dylan Panozzo,” R-P coach Matt Pallett said. “He is a senior that has worked extremely hard. He puts the time in during the season and in the offseason. He works closely with his swing coach, Ted Tallefson.”
Panozzo was one of three Rockets to place in the individual top 10. Kristian Brown tied for fourth place with an 85, and Aiden Waggoner tied for sixth, shooting an 86. Waggoner knocked in three birdies during his round.
“I am very happy to have three guys in the top 10,” Pallett said. “It was a rough day for my other two guys, otherwise we could have made things a lot more interesting. I do like the way my team is trending.”
Ayden Hartzell and Jake Lee tied for R-P’s fourth scoring spot, each shooting a 99.
Both Whitehall and Montague struggled as a team on an unfamiliar course; it was the first high school round for any player on either team at Oak Ridge.
The Vikings finished sixth in the tournament with a team score of 376, and Montague was eighth with a 388.
“Needless to say we did not perform as a team to the best of our ability,” Whitehall coach Bill Borgman said. “We definitely have the skills to perform better and will continue to work on the little things that we need to play our best.”
William Burger led the Vikings in scoring on the day with a 90, followed by Braedon Bond with a 93. Mason Mulnix had a 95 and Jones McDowell posted a 96.
Owen Raeth paced the Wildcats, shooting a 94. Trevin Silvers and Brayden Bultema each had a 96, and Jack Bailey shot a 98.
“The wind and playing on a course that most of the team had never seen before proved to be a challenge,” Montague coach Brad Tate said. “We did not play anywhere close to our capability and all that we can do is try and get better tomorrow and every day after. Our not playing well was not due to a lack of effort.”
