Houtteman finishes second atTCCTee-Off
The Glen Lake boys golf team started the season in two tournaments over the past week, with competitions at Crystal Mountain and Leland Country Club for the first Northwest Conference match.
Glen Lake senior Michael Houtteman finished second at the TCC tee-off event with 195 other players. Houtteman shot a 73 on day one and then, on the second day, shot a 71 to go -1 at the tournament and 144 even par to finish runner-up by one stroke.
“There were a lot of really good players, so I was very happy with how I played. I hit it really solid, and I was really tight around the greens, making nice up and downs for par and getting it close to make lower scores,” Houtteman said. “(The conditions) were still very cold and windy. It rained the first day, but thankfully, the rain let up a little bit, so it was just wind and cold.”
Houtteman was a couple back from the lead during crunch time. The senior made two birdies coming down the stretch but was unable to catch the leader by one shot.
“There’s always room for improvement,” Houtteman said. “I think about being a senior and playing a bunch of golf in the summer and highlevel tournaments. I’m pretty comfortable, but you can always get more comfortable playing in them … Stay locked in and focused the whole tournament; working on that. You can always shore up shots around the green and work on your short game.”
Throughout the first nine holes, Houtteman shot one birdie and two bogeys. On the second day, he hit four birdies while hitting one double-bogey and one bogey during the tournament.
Glen Lake finished 27th overall as a team at the tournament in a six-person team with Houtteman, Joel Martin, Gabe Hazelton, Ben Romzek, Karter Smith, and Brody Switzer in a six-person tournament. Martin shot 197 +22; Romzek 296 +24; Hazelton +35.
The Lakers defeated Leland, Benzie, Onekama, and Frankfort with a five-person nine-hole score of 157 during a Monday match in tough conditions at Leland Country Club.
Houtteman led the contested with a 33, followed by Leland’s Hayden Vansteenhouse 36; Christien Westcott Benzie; Cash Rosum Frankfort, Joel Martin, 41 Glen Lake; Brody Switzer, 41 Glen Lake; Howie Kropp, 42 Leland; Liam Waskiewicz, 42 Leland, Ben Romzek, 42 Glen Lake, Karter Smith, 43 Glen Lake.
“We have a couple of freshmen who we are teaching them the ropes, but they’re good players. They’ll figure it out. The main thing is leading by example, holding everybody accountable, and pushing each other to get better every day at practice and every day in tournaments,” Houtteman said.
