Norsemen golfers win first Northwest even.

SUTTONS BAY golf team seniors (from left)
Sam Foster, Max Evans and Craig Jasinski.

A big change in the prep golf season began this week, but it was a familiar result in the opening Northwest Conference event of the year.

Suttons Bay, which not only won the Northwest but also the Division IV state tournament in 2006 when golf was played as a fall sport, made a convincing opening statement Tuesday now that the sport is being contested in the spring by easily winning an 18-hole league event at Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids. The Norsemen shot a 325, well ahead of second-place Glen Lake (370). Kingsley (386), Benzie Central (392), Mesick (411) and Frankfort (451) followed.

“It was a pleasant surprise, and a great way to start the season,” said Norseman coach Todd Hursey, whose team lost five of its top six players to graduation last year. The one regular player who returned for Suttons Bay, sophomore Charlie Olson, took medalist honors with a 2-under 74. Teammate Max Evans, a senior, placed second overall with an 81, while teammates Chase Palmer (84) and Sam Foster (86) helped the Norse dominate.

“These guys don’t have much tournament experience. In fact, besides Charlie, it was first conference tournament they’ve ever played, but I was real happy considering we’ve hardly had the chance to play this year,” Hursey said.

Watching Olson play at Katke was his father, King’s Challenge golf club pro Chuck Olson. Hursey said the senior Olson is a graduate of Ferris State University’s professional golf management (PGM) program, and played “hundreds” of times at Katke as a college student. Hursey added that Evans has already been accepted into Ferris’ PGM program for the 2008-09 school year.

Glen Lake coach Fred O’Brien estimated that 75 percent of the golfers at the Northwest meet logged their first rounds of the year Tuesday.

“It felt great to be out there,” O’Brien said. “It was beautiful out in until the 12th or 13th hole, then a front moved in and some of the guys got a little wet, but we got the round in.”

A pair of freshmen – Matt O’Brien (83) and Matt Abramson (88) – led the Lakers, with Steve King (94) and Austin Novak (104) helping secure the second-place finish.

“I see room for improvement in all of them, though I was pretty happy with how we did. As the weather warms up and the courses get in better condition, I see us getting better and better,” coach O’Brien said.

The tournament counts 25 percent toward the league championship. A series of six 9-hole jamborees will count for 50 percent of the league formula, with the final 25 percent coming in an 18-hole tournament in May.

Glen Lake and Suttons Bay will begin the jamboree portion of the season next week when Kingsley hosts an event at Elmbrook Golf Course on Tuesday, and Mesick welcomes Northwest players to The Briar on Thursday.