Baraboo places eighth at Monona Grove Invite behind Brinker’s 73

Baraboo turned in an eighth-place finish at the Monona Grove Invite on Thursday, posting a team score of 318 in a 24-team varsity field at The Oaks Golf Course in Cottage Grove. Junior Jack Brinker led the Thunderbirds with a 2-over-par 73, good for seventh place individually, while sophomore Will Stelling followed closely with a 3-over 74 to tie for 11th.

The Thunderbirds were playing in their second varsity event of the season, and the tournament presented a sterner test than their opening outing. According to the team notes, the field included several strong programs, and course conditions added another layer of difficulty. Recent rain left the course wet and playing long, even as the layout remained in good condition and the greens rolled well throughout the day.

Brinker again set the pace for Baraboo, continuing his early-season run as one of the team’s most reliable scorers. His 73 kept him near the top of a crowded leaderboard and gave the Thunderbirds a low round to build around. Stelling also produced one of the better scores in the field, and his 74 gave Baraboo a second strong counting round in a tournament where every stroke carried weight.

Senior Jon Moon added a steady 82 for the Thunderbirds. Junior Collin Birrenkott rounded out the team scoring with an 89. Together, Baraboo’s four counting scores produced a respectable 318 against one of the deeper fields the team has seen so far this spring.

For a team still early in its varsity schedule, the result offered a useful benchmark. Baraboo showed it could stay competitive in a large tournament setting, led by two players who finished near the top 10 and top 15 individually. On a day when soft fairways made the course play longer than usual, the Thunderbirds still found enough consistency to leave Cottage Grove with an eighth-place finish and momentum heading into the next event at Reedsburg Country Club.