Lebanon secures spot in golf state finals

By Eric Smith/The Lebanon Reporter

Battle Ground — Never count the Tigers out.

When the Lebanon golf team held the fourth best score after nine holes at Friday’s regional tournament at Battle Ground Golf Club, the Tigers tightened the screws on the back nine to climb into the third spot with a team score of 323.

The performance lifted Lebanon into the state finals, as each player scored under 90 on the windy afternoon.

It got even better when the round ended, as Lebanon senior Andrew Frandsen took medalist honors with a 75. He was one of four players to shoot a 75, and went to a playoff with Northwestern’s Ben-Marvin Egel, Oak Hill’s Tyler Keith, and Winamac’s Josh Ruff.

It didn’t take long to sort out the day’s best, with Frandsen knocking off all three players after just two playoff holes.

“I figured if I could just make pars, I’d have a pretty good chance of winning, and that’s what came true,” Frandsen said. “I’ve lost a couple times in a playoff this year, so I figured I was about due, and this was the biggest one to win.”

On the front nine of his 18-hole round, Frandsen made a statement with a birdie and two bogies. He was equally brilliant in the difficult back nine, putting up a 38 after a front-nine 37.

“He has played well enough, and has been a leader for us for four years, that if there’s a kid that deserves this, it’s him,” Lebanon head coach Chris Walker said. “We’re going to miss him a lot, but I couldn’t ask for this to happen to a better person. It’s nice that we get a chance to do this (go to state) with his team, and not just by himself.”

After 20 holes of golf, Frandsen was elated to move on to the state finals in his final season with Lebanon.

“It’s nice to win this (medalist) award, but it’s so sweet to go to state as a team,” Frandsen said. “Just kind of stick it to everybody else, and it’s kind of nice when nobody gives you any respect. You say, ‘hey, we won sectionals, we won conference, and now we’re going to state.”

Junior John Frisby had a remarkable round in his own right. His putter was bent with six holes remaining in the round, rendering the club illegal. He went on to utilize a wedge in his putter’s place, and came away with Lebanon’s second-highest score at 79.

Only eight of the 68 players competing scored better than Frisby.

“I don’t know if there’s a story behind it or not, but last week we have a scorecard glitch that almost cost us the title. This week we’ve got a kid who has to putt six holes with a sand wedge — we’ve definitely overcome some stuff to be there,” Walker said.

The Tiger freshmen continued their exceptional year, looking like seasoned veterans. Dane Robertson and Jake Dickerson came away with an 83 and an 86, respectively. Senior Matt McCurdy also helped prolong his Lebanon career with a solid round of 89.

“One thing we talked about when we got off the bus is, ‘ there’s not a whole lot I can say to motivate you at this point. What I am going to tell you is you have to be patient all day. And when we’re done, you have to be mentally drained when you get back on the bus. Whether we advance or not, you have to feel like you left everything out there,’ and these kids on the back nine did that,” Walker said.

Host Lafayette Jeff, the state’s 11th-ranked team, took the regional championship with a team score of 315. The Bronchos were led by Jacob Wagner’s round of 76.

No. 19 West Lafayette led after the first nine holes, but finished second with a 318. Led by Scott Bursch’s 76, the Red Devils will join the Tigers and Bronchos at the state finals.

Lebanon surpassed Peru for the third spot after the turn. The No. 15 Bengal Tigers held third place after nine holes, but finished the day at 328. Rochester took fifth place at 335, Frankfort finished sixth at 339, and Covington finished seventh at 341.

Twin Lakes, Kokomo, Turkey Run, Lewis Cass, and Tipton rounded out the rest of the field at Battle Ground.

The Tigers have little experience at the state finals site, The Legends of Indiana, and they have very little time to prepare for the course in Franklin. The finals begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday, June 10, at The Legends.

“As a team, it’s our first trip down there,” Walker said. “It’s one of those things where we’re going into it with the attitude that this was our ultimate goal — to be in it. And now we’re hoping we can go into it with the pressure off.”

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