His approach shot on the par 5 second hole was a little unorthodox, but Charles Mikelait couldn’t argue with the result.
Nor could Mikelait’s Lexington teammates grumble about the outcome of Thursday’s Ohio Cardinal Conference tournament.
Led by Mikelait, whose team-low round of 78 included a better-than-could-be-expected bogey 6 at No. 2, Lex cruised to the tournament title and the overall conference crown on an overcast but otherwise pleasant afternoon at Mohican Hills Golf Club.
The OCC’s overall title is based on a points system. Points are earned for regular season league wins and order of finish at the conference tournament. The Minutemen were a perfect 7-0 in league play (worth eight points) and finished first Thursday with a team total of 319 (worth seven points) for a total of 15 points. Wooster (6-1 league record, 322 tournament team score) was second with 13 points, while Ashland (5-2, 324) was third with 11 points. Orrville (10.5), Clear Fork (6.5), West Holmes (6.5), Madison (3.5) and Mansfield Senior (1) rounded out the field.
Mikelait’s third shot on the 479-yard second hole landed within a foot of a water hazard to the left of the fairway. In order to address the ball for his fourth shot, the junior had to shed the shoe and sock on his right (back) foot and step down into the pond running alongside the fairway. With his left (front) foot resting on the bank of the pond, Mikelait lofted a shot that landed just short of the green but rolled safely to the middle of the putting surface. He two-putted from there.
“I’ve never even attempted something like that before,” said Mikelait, an Ohio Cardinal Conference first team selection. “I’ve had my feet below the ball before, but never in the water. That was a first for me.
“I’m pretty happy with the way I played. As a team, we did enough to get the job done.”
Matt Barkett backed Mikelait with a 79 and was selected the OCC’s Player of the Year. Kaleb Smith carded an 80 while Spencer Stierhoff fired an 82. Joey Zahn (83) and Tom Barkett (84) rounded out the field for Lex. Zahn joined Mikelait on the OCC first team, while Smith was a second-teamer and Stierhoff was an honorable mention selection.
“We played the tougher part of the course in the morning and the kids struggled a little bit,” said Lex coach Ryan Zahn, the OCC Coach of the Year. “Things weren’t looking real good for a while but the kids were much better on the other side.
“They saved their tournament on the second half of the course.”
Ashland’s Michael Woode was the tournament medalist, shooting a 3-over 75 on the 6,269 yard layout. Remarkably, Woode’s round included an 11 on the par 5 13th hole.
“I used Woode as an example for our kids to follow,” Madison coach Eric Wellman said. “He had an 11 on a hole and still shot a 75. I told our kids they have got to be able to forget about what happened on the last hole and focus on what is in front of them. Mentally we’re not there yet. We tend to dwell on the past.”
Blaine Smith led the Rams with an 83, earning OCC honorable mention laurels along the way. Austin Hallabrin had an 86, while OCC second team selection Adam Sayre carded a 92. Jacob Seamans (94), Kyle Matern (96) and Hunter Claxon (99) rounded out the scoring for the Rams.
Clear Fork carded a team score of 344 with all four scorers shooting in the 80s. James Smith led the way with an 83, followed by Anthony Patrlja and Aaron Leech, who both shot 86. Luke Watson had an 89, while Devon Shortridge had a 92 and OCC honorable mention pick Nick Schoonyan had a 97.
“I’m not disappointed with the way we played, but I’m not pleased either,” Clear Fork coach Jeff Gottfried said. “It’s been like that all year for us.”
Mansfield Senior shot a 499, led by Dylan Dudley’s 104. Zach Blank shot a 114, while David Courts carded a 137 and Joey Gallaway had a 144.
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
