McCarthy, Little Hoyas Claim Fifth IAC Golf Title

April 27, 2010

Denny McCarthy fired a one-under par 70 over the tight and hilly fairways of Shenandoah Valley Golf Club in Front Royal, VA to lead the Little Hoyas to their fifth consecutive tournament title and IAC banner.
The five man Hoyas team posted 373 to best second place Landon by 13 strokes at 386. Bullis slipped past Episcopal 396 to 397 to take third while St. Stephens and St. Agnes claimed fifth with 455 and St. Albans finished sixth with 476.
McCarthy's round featured 13 pars, three birdies, and two bogeys. His closing par on #18 was a testament to his ability to hold his composure. His tee shot drifted toward some trees in the right rough. A four-iron second shot ticked a branch and fell straight down. He had little choice save to pitch out to the fairway almost thirty yards from the green. He skipped his chip shot to within 10 feet and then waited while two members of his foursome who had hit balls out of bounds had to regroup. McCarthy then calmly stroked home the clinching putt.
He might have been entitled to a slight case of the nerves because in addition to playing in front of his family, coaches from UVA, UNC, and Wake Forest took the afternoon off to see him in action. I had a chance to talk to Sargent Bowen of UVA and he was most impressed with Denny's game plan.
Denny felt that he just couldn't get the ball near the best side of the green. On #11 a downhill par 3 his tee shot landed on the right hand side of the green but it left him with no chance to lag his first putt anywhere close. Whatever he did the ball was simply going to run away from the hole. He might have been better off if he could spin the ball in the hopes of stopping it close.
Wes Strang fought a balky putter and some tricky pin positions most of the day on his way to a tie for second with a two-over 73. His three birdies weren't enough to offet five bogeys, three on the front side. Drew Mickum from Landon birdied the 18th hole to allow him to catch Strang and he won the silver medal in a match of cards.
Wes Strang earned All-IAC honors for the fourth straight year, the only senior in the league to have done so for this year.A nice accomplishment but Wes had his heart set on winning the individual title.
Greg Bourdon tied for 4th with a 74; he cruised through the front side with 2 bogeys and 1 birdie but doubled #12 and bogeyed #15 before closing out with a birdie on #18.
Nate Cohan bogeyed the first three holes and the last two in the front side to go out in 40. Nate hit a monster drive on the first hole near the green but had trouble with his chip and then his putting. On the back side Nate got back to a steadier round as he fired 7 pars with 1 birdie and 1 bogey for a 76 good for a tie for 7th
Justin Butler playing in his first IAC Championship and viewing the course for the first time did quite well. He struggled on the front on his way to a six-over 41 but was cruising along on the back side until his tee shot on the short 17th caught a bad lie in the front trap. His explosion attempt sailed over the green and out of bounds. Justin didn't let the triple upset him too much as he birdied 18 for an 80.
Sam Spikell said he wasn't feeling well just before he teed off but that he was going to try it anyway. But after throwing up on the course Sam had to withdraw and sat out the remainder of the day trying to get some sleep in the bus.
Despite being a man down the team held it together for a convincing win.
The ALL-IAC Top Ten
Denny McCarthy (GP) - 70
Drew Mickum (L) - 73
Wes Strang (GP) - 73
Greg Bourdon (GP) - 74
Mike Brennan (Bullis) -74
Bailey Patrick (EHS ) - 74
Nate Cohan (GP)- 76
Holt Mountcastle (SSSA)- 76
Adam Stowe (EHS)- 77
Julian Heller (Landon) - 77
Constantine Valanos (Landon) - 77
The league coaches made Robert Balaban (Landon - Jr) an at-large selection for his outstanding play during the head-to-head matches.
McCarthy's sub-par round continued his streak of scores under par in league matches. Through four matches and the tournament he is a total of 12 under. His school record 29 against SSSA at Norbeck CC serves as the most impressive so far.