Home, sweet home: Hampshire’s Seth Gillie finds a way to 2nd straight state tournament

WEST DUNDEE – Hampshire senior Seth Gillie guesses he has played at Randall Oaks Golf Club more than 100 times in his life.

That’s not surprising since he started honing his game there when he was 5 years old. Moreover, his dad, Steve, used to be the head professional at the West Dundee course.

[ Photos: Class 3A Jacobs Sectional Boys Golf Tournament ]

So on the eve of his last high school match on the course, which happens to be Hampshire’s home track, Gillie couldn’t help but reflect.

“[Sunday] night I was thinking about it,” Gillie said. “I was like, ‘I can’t overthink it. I got to trust my game, trust my practice.’ ”

In Gillie you should trust.

His 2-over-par 73 Monday tied him for fourth place at the Class 3A Jacobs Sectional and earned him his second state berth in a row.

“I’ve played here pretty much my whole life,” said Gillie, who will next play in the state tournament Oct. 18-19 at The Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington. “It’s nice to be out on a course I’m really familiar with, greens I’m familiar with, and have no questions about what I’m hitting.”

Crystal Lake Central’s Jack Bice (74) and Asher Johnson (75) also advanced to state. Lake Forest (297), Libertyville (301) and Barrington (305) earned team berths. Stevenson’s Trenton Kurtz won a playoff over Deerfield’s Hunter Whitney for medalist honors after each shot a 1-under 70.

Gillie, whose 77 at the Dundee-Crown-hosted regional on the same course earned him an at-large sectional berth, had a somewhat inauspicious start. He said he chunked and bladed a couple of shots on the par-4 No. 3, resulting in a double bogey. The rest of his round included two birdies.

“Made a few more putts today,” Gillie said. “Other than that, I was hitting it pretty similarly. I was feeling a little more confident over the ball.”

His exceptional knowledge of the course may not have mattered down the stretch, considering a state berth was at stake.

“There was a little more pressure, especially coming down the last two holes,” Gillie said. “I heard people in my group talking about what [score] was making [the cut]. It made my heart beat a little faster.”

Despite the efforts of Crystal Lake Central senior Bice and sophomore Johnson, the Tigers, who won the regional at Randall Oaks, placed eighth with a 318.

Bice advanced to state last year, as well, and contributed on the Tigers’ state-qualifying team as a freshman. He shot a team-best 74 at the regional.

“[The course] played pretty similar to last week,” Bice said. “The greens are super fast. I’ve never seen them this fast before. The pins are really tough out there.”

He said the mental aspect was the best part of his game Monday. He was 3 over through six holes.

“I kind of had a rough start, but I didn’t give up, and I grinded,” said Bice, who had three birdies.

After shooting an 86 at the regional for Central, which didn’t use his score, Johnson pulled out his white Rich Harvest Farms bucket hat. He responded with a hats-off performance, bettering his regional score by 11 shots.

“I was dropping putts more,” Johnson said. “I felt better about my swing. I just tried to grind a little more today than I did last week.”

Credit the bucket hat.

“I incorporate it quite a little bit, but last week I didn’t wear it, and I wasn’t very good,” Johnson said. “So I thought I’d switch it up.”

Hamphire junior Nolan Adamczyk wasn’t as fortunate as his teammate Gillie, missing the state cut by one stroke after advancing to Bloomington last season. A week after winning the regional at Randall Oaks with a 72, the junior shot a 76.

“Today was just a little rough. The putting was off,” Adamczyk said. “Overall, I didn’t play too bad.”

Thinking he needed to finish strong to have a shot at qualifying for state, Adamczyk birdied Nos. 15 and 16, only to bogey the par-3 17th.

“I got a little too aggressive,” he said. “I thought I needed one more back to get in. It was just a tough way to finish.”

Seniors Barrett Rennell (77) and Braden Behrens (78) and freshman Logan Henning (78) paced Jacobs (sixth, 314). Senior Taig Bhathal (78) shot the best round for Huntley (ninth, 324).

Cary-Grove was led by Joey Boldt with an 80, and McHenry was led by Alex Lashelle with an 80. Huntley’s Gray Birkmeier also had an 80.