By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
Troy Steinfest shot an 89 and finished 17th to lead the Elkhorn Area High School boys golf team to a seventh-place finish May 19 at the Southern Lakes Conference tournament at Evergreen Golf Club.
The Elks finished with a four-man team score of 375 strokes over 18 holes. Badger finished first and won the Southern Lakes Conference title with a score of 332.
“That’s better than our average,” Coach Steve Fisher said of the Elks’ score. “Obviously, playing at home, you’d always like to be a little better, but I think the guys did a pretty job.”
In team scores, Waterford finished second (345) and Union Grove third (349). Burlington finished fourth (350). Westosha finished fifth (355), Wilmot sixth (363) and Delavan-Darien eighth (378).
“Some of the school’s scores were higher than normal,” Fisher said. “Badger shot a 332. That’s a little bit higher than their norm, but they won handily, as I think everyone thought they would.”
Burlington’s Brian Dankle repeated as the individual SLC champion with a score of 77. Dankle won the individual SLC title last season with a score of 78 at Waterford’s Rivermoor Golf Club.
Alex Balestreri shot a 90 for the Elks, and Grady Welsh finished at 96. Kyle Schoeneberg shot a 100 and Robby Meuret finished at 102.
Fisher said he thought Steinfest’s round disappointed the senior, whose play this season earned him Honorable Mention All-Southern Lakes Conference honors.
“He probably wishes he could have been a little better on the South,” Fisher said. “With any kind of wind on the South Course, it’s tough.”
Evergreen’s North Course served as the front nine, and the South Course served as the back nine.
Aside from a few bad holes, Fisher said Balestreri played well.
“He played very well,” Fisher said. “Just – maybe – two bad holes. He had a nice round. I’m very happy with his score.”
Fisher said Welsh played well on the South Course, which becomes difficult with any bit of wind.
Elkhorn played Tuesday in a WIAA Division 1 regional tournament at Krueger-Haskell Golf Course in Beloit.
The first four teams and top four individuals who are not members of one of the top four teams advance from the regional to the sectional tournament.
Elkhorn competes in a sectional tournament June 2 at The Oaks Golf Course in Sun Prairie.
The top two teams and top three individuals who are not members of one of the top two teams advance from the sectional to the WIAA State Boys Golf Tournament June 8 & 9 at University Ridge in Madison.
