Dillon has big week to lead Louisburg golf

Louisburg freshman Calvin Dillon eyes a shot near the fairway Thursday during the Frontier League Invitational at Sycamore Ridge Golf Course in Spring Hill. Dillon placed second in the league with a 77 and earned a medal.

 

SPRING HILL – Calvin Dillon walked back to the clubhouse at Sycamore Ridge Golf Club and wondered where he stood among the Frontier League’s best.

The Louisburg High School freshman more than held his own.

Dillon carded a 77 on the Spring Hill course to finish second overall in the Frontier League Invitational as he was four strokes behind De Soto’s Daniel Lee, who shot a 73 for the league title.

The Frontier League tournament was combined with the Spring Hill Invitational and included other teams in the Kansas City area. Overall, Dillon’s 77 was good for fourth overall out of 92 golfers.

“I felt like I played well,” Dillon said. “The course was pretty tough and it was really windy out there. The back side of the course opens up and it gets a little easier. I still thought I played well on the front side and shot just 4-over. I really just wanted to survive back there.”

Dillon wasn’t the only Wildcat to earn a league medal. Louisburg senior Ty Martin shot an 84 to finish seventh in the league tournament.

Martin, like Dillon, shot well on the back nine as he carded a 38 on the final nine holes and Dillon shot a 37. Martin used that string of good golf to put him among the top 10 golfers in the league.

“Calvin and Ty have medaled all season so far and I am not surprised,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “They are good golfers. Ty is still not quite in his complete groove even though he got there for his second nine at 2-over. He shot even par on a tournament last year and it should happen again soon.”

As the team, the Wildcats finished third in the league with a 361 and finished behind league champion De Soto (323) and runner-up Ottawa (348).

Senior Jake Hill and junior Kai Tinich tied for third on the team as they each shot a 100, while junior Justin Sievert shot a 101. Ignacio Huesa shot a 111 to round out the Louisburg golfers.

It was the final tournament of what was a busy week for the Wildcats as they competed in three different invitationals in a span of four days.

The Wildcats competed at the Fort Scott Invitational on April 17 and Dillon won his first tournament in just his second-ever high school meet.

Dillon shot an 81 to win the tournament by one stroke over Fort Scott’s Nick King. Martin finished right behind Dillon with an 84 and finished third overall.

Those two Louisburg scores propelled the Wildcats to a second-place team finish with a 361. Fort Scott won the tournament with a 354 in what was a rainy, cool competition.

The Fort Scott course will also be the setting for the upcoming regional tournament in May, which provided the Wildcats a preview of what to expect.

“It was a tough course,” Dillon said. “It played tough and it really wasn’t straight at all. It had a lot of mature trees, but I feel I played well. It was a good practice for regionals and now I know what I am dealing with.”

Hill was third for Louisburg with a 93, while Sievert, Tinich and Huesa shot a 103, 105 and 121, respectively, to round out the Wildcat team.

The next day, the Wildcats were back at it again for the Osawatomie Invitational on April 18 – and again Dillon led the charge for the Wildcats as he shot a 74 on the Osawatomie Golf Course and finished second overall.

Dillon shot 3-over on the par 71 course to help the Wildcats to a third-place team finish with a 353 in the 15-team tournament. Kansas City Christian won with a 324 and Ottawa was second with a 334.

Martin shot an 86, which was good for 12^th overall and a medal. Sievert and Hill carded a 95 and 98, respectively, while Tinich and Huesa each shot a 108.

“Osawatomie was a great tournament,” Burns said. “I did not think we would place third as a team, but closer to maybe fifth. A couple of teams brought their JV golfers which helped, but we had two scores in the 90s. I have been waiting for my three through sixth spots to do this, and it came at the right time. All the varsity players are competitive and trying their best. We are starting to get rid of the nines and 10s on a hole that help them stay in the 90s. I hope this will continue the rest of the season.”