Baraboo finishes sixth at Badger Large Conference meet No. 3

Baraboo posted a team total of 341 and finished sixth Wednesday at Badger Large Conference meet No. 3, led by sophomore Will Stelling’s 84 at Old Hickory Golf Club in Beaver Dam.

Stelling turned in the Thunderbirds’ low round on a day when scoring climbed across the field. Sophomore Finnley Schindler followed with an 85, while senior Jon Moon and junior Jack Brinker each carded 86s. Sophomore Cooper Jauch completed Baraboo’s scoring group with an 87.

The meet marked another step for Baraboo in Badger Large play, where the Thunderbirds believe they have established themselves through the first three conference stops. Old Hickory presented a different kind of challenge, according to the team’s post-meet assessment. It was a new course for Baraboo’s golfers, and one that tested every part of the game with tight fairways, demanding shot placement and blind tee shots and approaches into greens.

Those conditions showed up on the scorecard. Baraboo’s group ran into too many bogeys and a few costly high-number holes, leaving the Thunderbirds just short of where they wanted to be in the final standings. Still, the overall scoring in the meet ran high, and every team faced the same setup and conditions on a course that can play especially tough the first time through.

Even with the uneven round, Baraboo had balance in its lineup, with all five scoring players finishing between 83 and 87. That kept the Thunderbirds competitive throughout the day, even if they did not produce the kind of breakthrough numbers needed to climb higher in the standings.

The Thunderbirds left the third conference meet knowing there is room to improve, but also with a clear picture of what travels in league competition. On a course where precision mattered as much as power, Stelling set the pace, Schindler stayed close behind, and Baraboo’s compact scoring group gave the team a foundation to build on in the next Badger Large event.