SCOREBOARD WATCHING: GOLF
Margaret Hickey, seen here playing for Loyola Academy, claimed a title at the Chick Evans Junior Am. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
It’s not an easy task to win the Chick Evans Junior Amateur.
But Loyola Academy graduate Margaret Hickey met the challenge at Itasca Country Club on July 24-27.
After placing in a tie for seventh (72-79—151) after two rounds of stroke play, the Creighton University recruit moved on the match play bracket. And that is where Hickey shined.
The Glencoe golfer went 4-0 to win the championship. She beat St. Charles’ Nicole Jordan (5 and 3) in the title round.
Hickey advanced to the final after topping Wooddale’s Stephanie Mroz (6 and 5), Winnetka’s Audrey Tir (2 and 1) and Deerfield’s Elyse Emerzian (19 holes).
Tir scored a major upset in the Round of 16. After securing the final spot in stroke play (77-80—157), Tir, who will be a freshman at New Trier, ousted top-seeded Grace Curran (69-71—140) of New Lenox (3 and 1).
In boys, Lake Forest’s Connor Polender shot a 136 (67-69) to take first in stroke play. He went 2-1 in match play, falling to Sean Curran of New Lenox (5 and 4) in the quarterfinals.
Polender, who will be a senior at LFHS, recorded wins over Colin Robinson of Inverness (1 up) and Aidan Lafferty of Downers Grove (3 and 20) before being eliminated by Curran.
Other golfers from the DailyNorthShore.com area advancing to the Round of 32 included Highland Park’s Bradley Goldstein (139, 3rd), Northbrook’s Kevin O’Regan (141), Winnetka’s Peter Radler (141), Highland Park’s Max Golding (142), Lake Forest’s Jason Folker (143), Lake Forest’s Jed Thomas (143), Winnetka’s Michael Adler (144), Evan Myers (145) and Lake Forest’s Danny Fisher (146).
Golding, Adler, Folker, Goldstein and O’Regan earned wins in the Round of 32.
Lincolnshire’s Jackson Bussell took home the first-place trophy, beating Nick Tenuta of Mt. Prospect (4 and 2) in the final.