Oconto Falls High School junior Ben Stoinski and his fellow Panther golfers tied for sixth among 13 teams at the Stu Anderson Invitational on Thursday.
Stoinski fired a 45 on the his front nine and 39 on the back nine to combine for a team low 84 at River Island Golf Course. His score was sixth best among the 64 golfers competing.
“The first round was a little bit shaky with putting,” said Stoinski, who is the No. 2 golfer for the Panthers. “The second round I hit a lot more greens and fairways, made some putts.”
The weather was anything but ideal. With a steady wind and light drizzle, temperatures with the wind chill only reached the low to mid-40s. The wind definitely affected the players’ scores.
“It was coming from all different directions down in a little bowl and it was making it a lot tougher,” Stoinski said.
Oconto Falls’ score of 362 was two strokes back of fourth-place Shawano, while Marinette (337) captured the top spot of the invitational.
The Panthers’ No. 1 player Kyle Fiedler had a tough afternoon with a 91. Nathan Brauer shot 93 (50-43), James Salscheider 94 (45-49) and Jordan Koppa 101 (51-50).
One glaring statistic from the Oconto Falls’ scores was that four of the five players settled down and registered better scores as their round wore on. Fiedler went from a 49 on his first nine holes to a 42 on the final nine.
“Even his last hole, he parred a tough hole right into the wind on No. 1,” Schroeder said. “To play a 400-plus hole in just dead wind and cold, wet conditions, you add that on top of his low number, it’s even better when you start dissecting it as a coach.”
Stoinski had shot rounds of 85 and 86 earlier in the season, but he made the most of his round Thursday.
“I was proud of him,” Schroeder said. “He didn’t play great yesterday and he knew that. I could tell he wanted a good round today and he knows that now is the time of the year to be peaking with our conference tournament next week and regionals and sectionals to follow.”
Stoinski’s 39 was one of the lowest scores on the day.
“I’m really happy with that,” Stoinski said. “That’s the first time I’ve broke 40 this year.”
Stoinski had a difficult time hitting greens because of the wind. However, he was productive off the tee, and that was half the battle in conquering the elements.
“He said he hit 11 fairways, which is very good,” Schroeder said.
Stoinski had 36 putts in his rounds, which is something he’ll need to shore up in the next two weeks.
He logged five pars on the day and had a birdie on the par-4 No. 14. Playing at 279 yards, Stoinski took advantage of knowing the course pretty well.
“I hit a drive on the left edge of the fairway. My second shot I hit a draw around the tree and it stuck on the green,” Stoinski said. “I made like a 25-footer for birdie.”
That putt was Stoinski’s signature moment of the day. It provided an extra boost to wrap up his round with a four-over par on the back holes.
“It built up a lot of confidence for me,” Stoinski said. “Hopefully I can keep that moving throughout the season.”
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