Wilhelm and Broncbusters roll to Central Christian title
By Mike Pilosof
McPherson, KS-Vincent Wilhelm was quiet and steady during a successful freshman season.
But during his first tournament of his sophomore campaign, Wilhelm was as loud as anyone on the course.
The Germany-native was at his very best, shooting rounds of 67, 68 and 70, on his way to a five-under 205, taking home first place at the Central Kansas Classic. His team also grabbed the top spot, finishing at 8-over par, 15 strokes better than second-place Central Christian.
"I felt pretty good on Monday for the first 36 holes," Wilhelm explained. "I was a little bit nervous on Tuesday for the last round because I did not want to choke. But after nine holes, I felt very confident with my swing."
Wilhelm was on fire on Monday, shooting 5-under par on the first nine holes of the second round. The only reason he didn't shatter the course record was that fact that he shot 3-over on the back. He was human after all.
"I am still trying to put everything together," Wilhelm said. "The team gave me a lot of support during the tournament. So it felt really good."
Wilhelm capped off his fantastic two-day run by dropping two birdies on the final four holes on Tuesday. Once he parred 18, the sophomore gave an emphatic fist pump. This day, and this tournament, belonged to him.
"There are still plenty of things that I need to work on," Wilhelm said. "I'm going to work on my putting and driving during the next few days."
Wilhelm wasn't the only Broncbuster that showed out during the tournament. Isaac MacNaughton, who was a very good volleyball player in Canada before signing with the Garden City golf team, took home second place at 3-over par. His teammate, Adam Samnegard, used a first-round 69 to propel him to a third-place finish at 4-over.
"I thought we had a pretty good chance with six teams there," Head Coach Phil Terpstra said. "We played pretty consistent through three rounds. And the wind was blowing pretty good in rounds two and three. I think we lost 22 golf balls in three rounds."
Newcomer Oliwer Toiminen, came in fifth , dropping birdies in on three, eight and 18 for a third-round 70. He shaved four strokes off of his score after back-to-back 74's on Monday.
"It's a pretty good start, especially with five freshman on the team," Terpstra added.
Guilherme Oliva was tied for seventh at 11-over, and Garrett Sanchez was deadlocked at 16th.
Next up: Garden City travels to the High County Shootout in New Mexico beginning on Sunday.