HARTVILLE: The golf postseason is just around the corner and Medina senior Patrick Luth is rounding into top form.
Luth carded an even-par 71 Monday at Congress Lake Golf and Country Club to earn the medalist honor at the Northeast Ohio Conference Tournament.
A steady wind and cool temperatures baffled most of the 108 golfers, but not Luth.
Luth made birdie on four holes, bogey on two and a double-bogey on one to top the field.
“It’s a confidence builder definitely going forward,” Luth said. “I just kept the ball in the fairways and when I had opportunities I made putts. There were a few putts I missed that I thought I should have made, and there were a few putts I made that surprised me.”
Medina won the team title in the NOC Valley Division with a score of 309. Strongsville (333) and North Royalton (335) placed second and third in the division.
The NOC consists of three divisions. Each division has six teams.
Senior Sean Sherman (77), sophomore Evan Schreck (80) and sophomore Spencer Koch (81) also scored for the Bees. Grant Morgan shot an 82 for Medina.
Sherman’s 77 was the second-best score of the tournament.
“Under these conditions, I’m very happy with how they played,” Medina coach Jeanne Pritchard said. “This is a tough golf course. All of the Don Ross-designed courses are tough. The roughs are really thick and there are tight fairways.”
Luth, a Cleveland State University recruit, is seeking to make his third consecutive Division I state appearance with his Medina teammates in three weeks.
“Patrick just keeps his head in the game,” Pritchard said. “He hits a lot of fairways and greens. That is what you have to do to be successful. He is an exceptional golfer. He plays within himself, which is very important.”
Strongsville’s Matt Krause (78) and North Royalton’s Jason Garnet (79) rounded out the top four golfers.
Schreck and Stow junior Ian Holt tied for fifth with 80s.
Koch, Hudson junior Kevin Kubik and Kevin Koepp of Elyria tied for seventh with 81s.
Hudson won the NOC River Division team title with a score of 332. Twinsburg (347) and Stow (349) were second and third, respectively.
The Explorers’ top four consisted of Kubik, senior Andrew Borman (83), senior Blake Thornton (84) and senior Alan Zhang (84).
“We played OK today,” Hudson coach Jeff Camp Jr. said. “We did just enough to win. We handled the conditions pretty well. It was cold and windy out there.”
Cuyahoga Falls junior Simon Moskowitz and Brunswick junior Justin Roth both shot 84s.
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the high school blog at http://www.ohio.com/preps. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MBeavenABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.
