Charlie Gilligan goes low, helps Wheaton Warrenville South go to state

BRISTOL – Wheaton Warrenville South senior Charlie Gilligan was the only golfer to shoot under par during Monday’s Class 3A Oswego Sectional at Blackberry Oak Golf Course.

Gilligan’s 71 helped the Tigers finish with a 307, a stroke better than Geneva’s 308. Both of those schools are advancing to the IHSA state final tournament Oct. 18-19 at The Den at Fox Creek Golf Course in Bloomington along with sectional champion Hinsdale Central, which carded a 295.

Benet, which finished a single stroke behind Geneva, just failed to qualify for state.

The Tigers also counted a 78 from sophomore Quinn McCoy and received 79s from junior Michael Johansen and senior Callan Fahey. Junior Andrew Shah shot an 80.

“The guys on the team who shot (78-80) can beat me any day of the week,” Gilligan said. “That’s just how our team is, how it rolled today. Going (to state) as an individual is cool, but going there with the whole team makes it a lot more enjoyable for sure. It’s kind of what makes everything fun.”

Gilligan had four birdies, three bogeys and 11 pars.

“It was a relatively consistent round,” he said. “I’ve been playing great recently ball-striking-wise off the tee. Putting has been my struggle. I still had mistakes today. Whether it’s driving a par 4 and three-putting for par, I made up for it with other parts of my game. I am happy with how we played.”

Hinsdale Central senior Dru Devata and sophomore Constantine Verros led the Red Devils to the sectional crown. Both entered the clubhouse with an even-par 72.

“I was playing really well and was 3-under at the 10th hole but then I had a duck hook on a drive on 11,” Verros said. “I made a double (bogey) there and three-putted the next (hole) and then coasted from there on out and made six pars. It was pretty solid. I had a good day, but it could’ve been really good.”

Verros, who was at Fenwick last season, has found a great new home at Hinsdale Central.

“I’ve known all these guys for some time now and we’re all very nice to each other,” he said. “It’s been a good team and kind of easy to fit in I guess. To be honest, we’re playing to win every tournament, and it sounds bad, but we’re surprised if we don’t.”

The Red Devils, who placed second in the state last fall, received a 2-over par 74 from senior Kevin Wesolowski and 77s from sophomore Michell Ghaben and freshman Michael Jorski.  Senior Isaac Schloegel contributed a 78 but the Red Devils didn’t need to use it.

Geneva, which took seventh at state last year, is returning to Bloomington later this month. Led by upperclassmen this fall, senior Ryan O’Rourke paced the Vikings with a 75, junior Logan Novay had a 76, senior Brandon Burggraf had a 77 and juniors Matt Trimble and Ben Claremont scored an 80 each.

Senior Charles Davenport had a 3-over par 75 to lead Benet. Freshman Charlie Davis had a 76 in his sectional debut while senior Billy Tierney and junior Luke Donovan each added a 79.

Batavia junior Ryan Augustine fired a 1-over par 73 to earn his first berth to the state tournament.

“Last year we had a lot of seniors and one (Andrew Freedlund) go down to state which was awesome to see,” Augustine said. “I’ve always dreamed of going down to state and this is a great day. It worked great for me today and I’m glad I get to go down.”

Augustine made a difficult game look far more easier than it is through consistency.

“I had nine straight pars on the back, which was like the front (nine) since I teed off on 10,” he said “I was just staying focused and not letting bad shots or bad breaks get to me. You can’t do anything about it. That’s just golf. I like to take one step at a time, hit one shot at a time.”

One of the biggest goals Wheaton North senior Trey Hubner set for himself was to advance to state. He’s now accomplished it and is still in disbelief after his 2-over 74.

“I’m at a loss for words for sure,” he said. “I did not expect to make it. I played well at regionals, but I’ve had some bad rounds this year and some good. Today was one of my better ones.”

He survived one double bogey and four bogeys thanks to four birdies and nine pars.

“I started 2-under through the first four (holes) but had a bad double on 16 but then brought it back by playing consistent golf from there on out,” he said. “I flew the green by 20 yards on the last hole but still bogeyed.”

At regionals, Hubner’s first tee shot nearly landed on the wrong green. At the sectional, he hit a perfect tee shot to begin and that set the tone for the rest of his round.

“I missed qualifying for sectionals my sophomore year by one stroke and junior year by two strokes after double bogeying the last hole,” Hubner said. “So I’ve had some bad moments in the past. My sophomore year I was on varsity but I wasn’t putting up great numbers. I was putting up good numbers in conference, but my first ever varsity round I shot like in the high 90s or something. It was pretty bad, but to see that progression from first varsity round to now is amazing.”