On September 26th and 27th, both LTHS boys and girls varsity golf teams competed in the Southwest Suburban Conference tournament and did very well.  

The boys team overall placed second with a score of 309, only 3 strokes short of the champion, Lincoln-Way East High School.

As individuals, LTHS junior John Weis, who has been playing for Lockport since his freshman year, finished second as he shot 72 (1 over par) and lost in a playoff to the eventual conference champion.

When asked about his thoughts as he progressed through the tournament, John says, “I was pretty calm and just kept saying to myself, ‘Stay calm and play smart’.”

His main focus “was just to get on the green in regulation and 2 putt for par.”

John’s teammate, LTHS freshman Ben Sluzas, shot 75 and finished in fifth place and has been the team’s top golfer all year, according to Coach Matthew Eber. 

Ben has been playing golf since he was nine years old. When asked how it’s like as a freshman on varsity, he says, “the guys have all been great to me and welcomed me very early on.”

In the tournament, Ben recalls, “Conditions were tough . . . It was windy.  My short game wasn’t great that particular day. My chipping was off, and I just couldn’t seem to get the ball close enough to the hole to be making par.  I had 7 bogeys on the day and finished with 4 over 75.  I’d love to have that day back.”

Ben believes that he could have played better, and his main thought in the tournament was to “try very hard to never let one bad shot, or one bad hole, affect [his] whole round.”

In addition to the boys golf team, the girls varsity finished third place with a team score of 367.

LTHS sophomore Rachel Kuzel took fourth place, shooting 85.  Rachel has been playing golf for nine years. She says, “It is a sport that not many people play, and it could get me through college with a scholarship.”  

Rachel says she did not shoot as well as she would have liked, but her main focus when she competes is “to shoot +6 or under for each 9 – hole portion.” She adds, “This is because that is my average, so I know if I am under that then I have improved.”

Her teammate, LTHS sophomore Megan Kohley, took seventh place shooting 91. Megan has not been playing golf for very long, and she was encouraged by the varsity girls golf coach, Kyle Yaeger, to join the team last year. She was put as number two throughout the whole season on the JV team.

As Megan progressed through the tournament, she took each shot at a time considering every one. She says, “I made sure I bounced back from the bad shots, but most importantly, I played the course. I didn’t cloud my thoughts about what I was shooting or what would be my score at the end of the 18 holes. I was in a zone where I kept positive and tried to focus on the smaller things one at a time to keep my thoughts clear and organized.”

Overall, both girls and boys golf teams did very well in their conference, and the teams will continue to practice and prepare for the upcoming regionals and sectionals.