Suttons Bay had exactly three days this week to savor its eighth consecutive Northwest Conference golf championship.

With the postseason beginning today in the Division 4 District tournament at The Wolverine in Acme, there was no time for the Norsemen, as well as Glen Lake and St. Mary, to be looking back on fine regular seasons.

“It’s a great accomplishment for this team,” said coach Todd Hursey of Suttons’s Bay conference title won Monday at Mistwood Golf Course near Lake Ann. “But from here on out, it’s going to be a really tough task, and we need to be at our best if we expect to win our District.”

The top six teams in the District will advance to the May 30 Regional at Indian River Golf Club, and Hursey has a pretty good idea who four of the teams will be.

“St. Francis and the three (Leelanau) county teams all have a great chance of advancing,” he said, adding that Glen Lake is peaking at the right time.

“We might be fortunate the conference season is over the way Glen Lake was closing the gap on us, and St. Mary is playing well, too,” he said.

Glen Lake coach Fred O’Brien concurred.

“I’m pleasantly surprised, because I didn’t know what to expect going into the season, but our freshmen played well and our senior (Austin Novak) and junior (Steve King) stepped up, too, when we needed them,” said O’Brien, whose Lakers secured a second-place finish in the final conference standings.

At Mistwood Monday, Suttons Bay completed another perfect season in league play with a score of 327 behind the play of medalist Charlie Olson (77), Craig Jasinski and Chase Palmer (83), and Max Evans and Conor Loberg (84). Glen Lake posted a 337 and was led by its two talented freshmen Matt Abramson (83) and Matt O’Brien (84). Novak added an 84 and King posted an 86.

The league’s final 9-hole jamboree of the season was played last Wednesday, May 14, at Champion Hills near Honor and Suttons Bay and Glen Lake again went one-two. Olson had his best outing of the year with an even-par 36 that included two birdies. Loberg (39), Palmer (40) and Jasinski (41) also played well as the Norsemen shot 156 to win by 10 strokes over the Lakers, who were led by O’Brien (39), Abramson and Novak (41), and King (45).

St. Mary, in only its second year as a golf team, played Glen Lake and Manistee Catholic Central Friday at the Old Course at Sugar Loaf, and finished in a three-way tie at 188. Manistee Catholic won the tiebreaker and was awarded first place. Abramson earned medalist honors with a 41 and King shot 45 for the Lakers. Bradford Schaub led St. Mary with a 42, and was followed by teammates Christiaan Krombeen (46), Aaron Joliffe (48) and Tim Waters (53).

St. Mary team coordinator Lucy Schaub said the short-handed Eagles also posted a win over Leelanau School Monday at the Old Course at Sugar Loaf.

“While the members of the St. Mary varsity team who will compete in the District tournament were having practice at The Wolverine, the remaining team members served noticed they could handle competition on their own,” she said. Joliffe and Jacob Sterkenberg both carded 52s and Waters had a 53 in the Eagles’ final match of the regular season. Andrew Campbell led Leelanau School with a 43.

County players dominate all-league team

County players dominated the all-Northwest Conference golf team announced this week.

Eight of the 12 first-team and second-team players are from Suttons Bay and Glen Lake.

Junior Charlie Olson of Suttons Bay led the all-Northwest team, and was joined by teammates Chase Palmer and Max Evans. Matt O’Brien of Glen Lake also earned first-team honors, as did Miles Guy of Kingsley and Andrew Gaylord of Mesick.

Sam Foster of Suttons Bay, and Glen Lake’s Matt Abramson, Steve King and Austin Novak were second-team selections. Jack Wilband of Frankfort and Sam Hahn of Benzie Central rounded out the second team.