Looks can be deceiving. So, too, can golf scores.
The competitors, coaches and non-partisan fans – i.e. club members — were unanimous in saying Sunday’s conditions at renowned Canterbury Golf Club for the opening round of the Kiely Cup tournament were ideal for scoring.
Pleasant temperatures. Little or no wind. As usual, outstanding course conditions.
Customarily that adds up to low scores.
A look at the scoreboard said differently. Or, did it?
“If any of these high school players can shoot 75 or better, they will have played a fantastic round,” said one Canterbury member a short time after 15 of the best high school teams in the country teed it up.
While no one in the field was able to break par-72, two local players – Green junior Cade Breitenstine and Walsh Jesuit sophomore Colton Levey – came very close and will be in contention Monday when the final 18 holes are played, under what is expected to be idea conditions once again.
Breitenstine, the Federal League player of the year in 2016, owned a share of the lead with Dublin Jerome’s Jackson Chandler, after a one-over 73.
Levey, medalist in this year’s Toledo St. John’s Invitational, is one shot back and shared third place with Dublin Jerome’s Mason Wagner.
The rounds by Chandler and Wagner powered Jerome to the first-round lead in the team competition at 19-over 307. Defending champion – and the reigning Division I state champion Cincinnati St. Xavier – is second at 310 and Youngstown Boardman, paced by a 75 by Cole Christman, was third at 316.
Breitenstine’s 73 helped Green to fifth place at 320, 13 shots back but six shots better than last year’s first round when the Bulldogs went on to finish 10th.
“It was a great improvement over last year,” said Green coach Brian Tharp, whose team finished third in the (Columbus) St. Charles Invitational on Saturday with a score of 303. “Hopefully, we can improve again on Monday.”
The final round begins at 9 a.m.
St. Xavier’s second-place showing came thanks to a pair of 75s by seniors George Mitchell and Michael Prebles.
In all, eight players shot 75 or better. It should be pointed out that Hudson’s Wil Kurtz, now at Kent State, opened with a 75 in sharing medalist honors with Chagrin Falls’ Dan Berlin at Canterbury last year.
Eleven players shot 75 or better in last year’s first round in the tournament named in honor of long-time caddie master Mike Kiely.
While the playing conditions might have been near-perfect, tournament officials provided some defense for the course with some testy pin placements.
“The pins were tough, but they were fair,” said Breitenstine, who shot 76-76 to finish in a tie for 14th in last year’s event. “Some were hid behind bunkers and some were on the top of slopes. But, you could get to most of them.”
Sophomore Maxwell Moldovan (78) and seniors Miles Demuesy (82) and Jordan Conjerti (87) were the other Green contributors in the play-five, count-four format.
Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (321), two-time champion University School (330), two-time champion St. Ignatius (335), four-time champ Walsh Jesuit (336) and Gilmour (339) held down spots 6-10.
NDCL was led by senior Charlie Toman (above) and sophomore Danny Milo (top), both in at 4-over 76. University School senior Kyle Flatow also shot 76, while senior Michael McCaffrey and sophomore Ross Willamson each finished at 81 to lead St. Ignatius. Jay Magyari, also a 10th grader, was low man for Gilmour at 79.
Breitenstine, who started on the fifth hole, was one-over through five holes but double-bogeyed the 10th and bogeyed the 13th and was 4-over with nine holes to go. He righted himself with birdies on the 5875-yard 16th – arguably the second-hardest hole on the course – and the 400-yard 18th.
He got it to 2-over with another birdie at the 350-yard second hole and lipped out a 15-foot putt on the 440-yard fourth, his final hole.
“I left a couple of shots out there,” he said. “I chunked a couple of wedge shots, which didn’t help. It looks like I’ll have to shoot a little better.”
As it is, one-over is a good score and better than many had anticipated.
ROUND 1 RESULTS: 2017 Kiely Cup
Canterbury Golf Club, Beachwood
Sunday, September 10, 2017
Dublin Jerome 307
Jackson Chandler 73
Blake Solomon 80
Ethan Snyder 80
Nick Karlik 86
Mason Wagner 74
St. Xavier 301
Cameron Frazier 84
George Mitchell 75
Michael Prebles 75
Oscar Zimmerman 79
Garrett Madden 81
Boardman 316
Cade Kreps 77
Cole Christman 75
Bob Jonda 84
Bryan Kordupel 84
Brian Terlesky 80
Centerville 317
Dhaivat Pandya 75
AJ Cherubini 78
Nick Clark 81
Eric Cherubini 84
Jack Edwards 83
Green 320
Maxwell Moldovan 78
Cade Breitenstine 73
Miles Demuesy 82
Jordan Conjerti 87
Jonathan Knapp 92
NDCL 321
Charlie Toman 76
Aditya Achar 86
Danny Milo 76
Arya Achar 83
Jake Flynn 86
University School 330
Kyle Flatow 76
Joe Fedro 84
Ben Cowan 87
Thomas Coyne 83
Brett Rogers 89
St. Ignatius 335
Michael McCaffrey 81
Andrew Kaye 83
Jake Moraca 90
Connor Warns 90
Ross Williamson 81
Walsh Jesuit 336
Colton Levey 74
Ben Cors 84
Maurice Jacobs 85
Cutler Zamecnik 95
Matt Flinchbaugh 93
Gilmour Academy 339
Ben Foltz 90
Jay Magyari 79
Tucker Morris 86
Liam Ottaway 84
Joey Hollis 91
Van Buren
Hunter Foltz 84
Brandon Wehrle 81
Connor Ohlrich 89
Noah Fredrick 93
Quentin Weddell 92
Strasburg-Franklin
Dylan Tucker 79
Mitch Neidenthal 80
Mike Neidenthal 99
Calvin Willis 91
Ethan Cregan 96
Brookfield
Conner Stevens 89
Justin Atkinson 77
Nate Smoot 85
Jonathan Hiner 106
Jake Shingledecker 105
Wooster
Brent Dillon 92
Mason Frazier 92
Wesley Roberts 87
Austin Meese 94
Dylan Bolick 104
Columbiana
Jared Wilson 77
Seth Ross 87
Tyler Andersen 116
Nate Whitehead 111
Sean Whitehead 112
