LAKEWOOD – Tyler Samaan kept the promise that he made to himself Wednesday afternoon. Mostly.
Samaan, a Burlington Central junior, told himself he wouldn’t look at the Fox Valley Conference Tournament leaderboard throughout the round so he could only focus on himself. When a friend told Samaan he just needed to par his last hole to win the FVC title, he was happy for the intel.
[ Photos: 2024 Fox Valley Conference Boys Golf Tournament ]
Samaan made par to win the individual tournament championship and help the Rockets win the team title.
“I just looked back at what I always do and took it really slow, putt by putt, hole by hole,” Samaan said. “It worked out for me.”
It also worked out for the Rockets, who won the FVC title after shooting a collective 299. Jacobs finished second with a 302, Crystal Lake Central took third at 303, Prairie Ridge earned fourth at 306, and Hampshire placed fifth at 310.
Cary-Grove and Huntley (321) tied for sixth, while McHenry (327), Dundee-Crown (344) and Crystal Lake South (349) rounded out the team results.
Samaan, who started his round on the second hold, responded after finishing 1-under par on the front nine with a dominant showing on the back. He birdied holes 10, 16 and 18, which helped him pick up a two-stroke lead heading into the final hole. He made par at the first hole to secure the FVC title by shooting 4-under 68.
Rockets coach Tom Davies knew Samaan could make the right adjustments to earn the FVC crown. Samaan had been an anchor for Burlington Central the past two seasons and continued his meteoric rise this year.
“He’s made an even bigger jump this year,” Davies said. “Ty is amazing. It’s enjoyable to see him play golf and play the way that I know he can play.”
Samaan edged Hampshire junior Nolan Adamczyk, who led for a good part of the day and finished two strokes behind the leader at 70. Crystal Lake Central senior Jack Bice tied for third with Jacobs senior Barrett Rennell and Rockets senior Camden Sarallo by shooting an even-par 72 but won the tiebreaker to earn a medal.
Jacobs freshman Logan Henning placed sixth with a 73, Tigers sophomore Tommy Laird and PR senior Austin Klauser tied for seventh at 74 while Hampshire senior Seth Gillie and Jacobs Braden Behrens rounded out the top 10 with a 75 and 76, respectively.
Adamczyk started strong after bogeying the first hole with five birdies in the front nine to stand at 3-under. But Adamczyk bogeyed at hole 17 and earned par at 18 to finish second overall.
He was proud to finish second at the tournament heading into postseason play.
“It was just sticking to what I do,” Adamczyk said. “I play aggressive and it was working out. I was hitting good shots close to the pin. Keeping with my aggressive nature helped me to play well.”
The Rockets’ depth played a strong role in their success once again Wednesday. Sophomore Tommy Wyse (78) finished 16th overall, senior Matthew Kowalik (81) placed 23rd, senior Ben Chesney (83) earned 31st and junior Debin Hughes (87) took 48th.
“I just looked back at what I always do and took it really slow, put by put, hole by hole. It worked out for me.”
— Tyler Samaan, Burlington Central junior
While the headliners performed well for the Rockets, Davies said BC couldn’t win a team title without its deep lineup.
“We flex our depth,” Davies said. “We obviously have some high-end talent with Ty, Cam and those guys. We would not be where we are without our depth.”
BC will hope to flex its depth throughout the season as its tries to return to the state tournament once again after being the lone McHenry County area team to qualify. The Rockets feel like they’re hitting all cylinders at the right time.
They’re excited to see what happens next.
“It’s definitely a big confidence booster for all of us,” Samaan said of winning the conference. “To know what we can go out and win regional, sectional, maybe state. It was a big step for us.”