Guyton relies on short game
By KEVIN DRULEY
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kdruley@kcchronicle.com
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| St. Charles East junior Jordan Wetsch tees off during the final day of the St. Charles Royal Classic on Tuesday at the Royal Hawk Country Club in St. Charles. Wetsch carded a two-day total of 155 and was the top Chronicle-area boys finisher, tying for 12th at eight shots back of champion Steve Skurla of Wheaton. (Sandy Bressner – sbressner@kcchronicle.com) |
How they fared
A glance at Chronicle-area competitors in this week's MAJGT Royal Classic at Royal Fox and Royal Hawk country clubs:
GIRLS
Hayley Guyton, Sugar Grove, 81-79-160, 2nd place
Marin Beagley, St. Charles, 80-87-167, T10th
Jenny Niemiec, St. Charles, 89-95-184, 22nd
BOYS
Jordan Wetsch, St. Charles, 77-78-155, T12th
Drew Cisco, Geneva, 84-73-157, T19th
Jonathan Woods, St. Charles, 79-78-157, T19th
Weston Apple, St. Charles, 83-77-160, T27th
Christopher Thomas, St. Charles, 79-81-160, T27th
Stephen Gow, St. Charles, 77-84-161, T31st
TJ Metts, St. Charles, 87-79-166, T47th
Keegan O'Rahilly, St. Charles, 87-80-167, T51st
Brett Weiss, St. Charles, 80-87-167, T51st
Taylor Kanute, St. Charles, 91-83-174, 73rd
Jeff Lapetina, Geneva, 87-79-176, 77th
Eddy Hribar, St. Charles, 93-85-178, T79th
John Vacek, Batavia, 95-88-183, 88th
ST. CHARLES – Hayley Guyton imagines a meeting with any of the best women's golfers in the world and instantly smiles.
"That would be insane," she said. "That would be so cool because those are the girls I look up to and want to play like. I'd be a little star-struck, I'm sure."
Guyton will get her chance to wobble at the knees in little more than a month. She plans to volunteer at the Solheim Cup, an international match-play event to be contested minutes from her Sugar Grove home at Rich Harvest Farms.
Until then, her focus is fixed on playing well in the Mid-American Junior Golf Tour and other midwestern circuit events. Tuesday's runner-up finish at the MAJGT Royal Classic wouldn't be a bad conversation starter should the Kaneland junior encounter any celebrities Aug. 21-23.
Tallying putts on her scorecard along the way – she called her 31 at Royal Hawk Country Club "pretty bearable" – Guyton shot 79 to finish with a two-day total of 160. She began Classic play with an 81 on Monday at neaby Royal Fox Country Club and finished five strokes back of champion Taylor Quinn of Barrington Hills (155).
Her flatstick helped her navigate a couple of courses she was hardly familiar with entering the week.
"You really just have to manage the greens really well," said Guyton, who carded a 73 at Cog Hill in Lemont during an Illinois Junior Golf Association event last week. "I wasn't hitting the ball particularly well today, so my short game had to get me through."
St. Charles East junior Jordan Wetsch carded a two-day 155 and proved to be the best Chronicle-area boys finisher, tying for 12th at eight shots back of champion Steve Skurla of Wheaton.
Friend and St. Charles North junior Stephen Gow registered a 161. One of the few Royal Hawk members in the field, he vowed for immediate improvement.
"I'll be back here tomorrow, for sure," Gow said. "And the next day, and the next day."
Like everyone else, he'll begin on the daunting first hole, a downhill par-4 that leaves little to the imagination if you don't hit a straight shot off the tee.
Water and an out-of-bounds marker lie to either side of central.
"It's just scary to start on," Wetsch said. "One of the most difficult opening holes I've ever seen."
