SUNBURY — Bryce Lutz waited with his playing partners on the 14th tee for what felt like an eternity Saturday morning as some unexpected visitors crashed the Division III state tournament at North Star Golf Resort.
Play was halted for several minutes when four young deer wandered out of the nearby woods and meandered up and down the fairway before getting spooked and dashing off the course.
“That was probably the highlight of my day,” Lutz joked after the final scores were posted late Saturday afternoon.
Highlights were hard to come by for Lutz and his Crestview teammates, at least by Crestview’s lofty standards.
The Cougars followed Friday’s 320 with a 348 in blustery conditions and finished in sixth place with a two-day team total of 668. Columbus Academy claimed the state crown with a 314-321—635. Toledo Ottawa Hills, the 2013 state champ, was second with a 314-328—642.
“The conditions were so much harder. The wind was driving me nuts,” Lutz said. “My irons were all so short.”
After firing an opening-round 74, Lutz carded a team best 80 Saturday for a 154 to finish tied for seventh. He earned a spot on the All-Ohio second team. Fellow senior Ben Olewiler, who had the overnight lead after shooting 2 under 70 Friday, shot 82 for a fifth-place finish of 152 and a spot on the All-Ohio first team.
“The wind was tough, but everyone plays in the same conditions so you can’t really blame it on that,” Olewiler said. “I have no clue what it was. I was just as surprised as everyone else was that I played so bad.”
Senior Michael Staniford (86-89—175) tied for 44th. Junior Joe Stimpert (90-97—187) tied for 61st. Freshman Jake Salyers shot a 256.
“It’s kind of bittersweet going out with a sixth place but at least we were here three years in a row. There were only 12 teams down here. Everybody else wasn’t playing golf this weekend or if they were they were playing with dad or uncle,” Crestview coach Bob Olewiler said. “They kind of beat themselves up pretty bad with the finish that they had, but it’s really not that bad when you look at the big picture.
“Is it where they wanted to be? Probably not. But realistically, with the personnel we had this year, I was thinking if we make it to state (finishing) halfway through the pack would be really good.”
The tournament capped a remarkable three-year run for seniors Olewiler, Lutz and Staniford. The threesome helped the Cougars win a state championship in 2012 and finish third last year.
“These three seniors have done so well through their four years,” said Bob Olewiler, who will step down after coaching his youngest son the past four seasons. “Starting as freshmen and playing every single match, that is something that seldom happens.”
The remarkable run put Crestview on the map in high school golfing circles.
“We kind of established the Crestview name for golf. That’s a good thing,” Ben Olewiler said. “People will always remember that.”
