Hampshire’s Tegan Van Wiel finds pleasure in golf, takes 2nd at McHenry County Junior Amateur

BULL VALLEY – Hampshire’s Tegan Van Wiel picked up a golf club out of boredom three years ago as he looked for new ways to have fun at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Van Wiel, who also plays baseball, now especially looks forward to time spent outside, particularly on a golf course.

“I picked it up during quarantine, just something to do outside to try for fun,” Van Wiel said. “My first round ever, I made birdie. I mean, that’s pretty fun right there. Hitting those shots kind of make you want to come back out for more.

“It’s relaxing to me. With baseball, you don’t have any time to be relaxed. In golf, you’ve got time between shots to kind of think it through. I don’t even get angry.”

Van Wiel made some of the better shots of his short golf career during Wednesday’s second round of the McHenry County Junior Amateur, hosted by the McHenry County Junior Golf Association at Boone Creek.

Van Wiel, a senior at Hampshire, was runner-up in the boys senior division with a two-day score of 82-79-161. Grant graduate Cameron Finlayson finished three shots ahead of Van Wiel and was first with a 79-79-158.

“Today I couldn’t hit a fairway, but I was making a lot of putts and getting up and down a ton. I made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 11 and 12, which really helped me today. I went out there and felt very confident.”

—  Tegan Van Wiel, Hampshire

Prairie Ridge’s Austin Klauser (83-80-163) took third, while Crystal Lake Central’s Charlie Polash (89-75-164) was fourth.

Since Van Wiel first started playing golf, he’s had two PGA professionals he credits with helping grow his game: Steve Gille [formerly at Randall Oaks] and J. Anderson [Boulder Ridge]. Van Wiel said he wants to continue playing in college.

“When I first started I had no idea how to putt,” Van Wiel said. “Getting up and down, making chip shots and putts, I never really was able to do that before. But the last couple of years, the improvement has been huge.

“I’ve always been able to hit the ball far, but my accuracy has been really dialed since I first started playing.”

Van Wiel recorded four birdies in the tournament, including three during the second round.

“Today I couldn’t hit a fairway, but I was making a lot of putts and getting up and down a ton,” Van Wiel said. “I made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 11 and 12, which really helped me today. I went out there and felt very confident.”

Finlayson, who will go to the College of Lake County next year, said the course played favorable, despite a wet ground that saw more rain throughout the second round.

“It’s a shorter course, which is nice, and I really liked the fairways. They’re pretty fluffy,” Finlayson said. “I did want to shoot a lot lower because the course doesn’t play that hard. I was even going into [the 10th hole], so that was kind of disappointing to finish with a higher score on the back. But I was happy I won.”

Burlington Central sophomore Tyler Samaan won the boys junior division and fired the lowest score of the tournament with a 75-77-152. Marian Central’s Peter Louise (79-74-153) took second and Jacobs’ Chase Garden (75-82-157) was third.

The top three scores all came from the boys junior division.

Samaan played mostly baseball growing up but has since found a new favorite sport in golf. He hopes to make Central’s varsity team after playing on JV as a freshman.

“This is definitely a big one for me,” Samaan said. “I haven’t had a win in awhile, so this one really helps.”

Samaan said Wednesday’s win was a big confidence booster.

“Absolutely,” Samaan said. “Now I know I can compete and win.”

Riley Klotz, a Johnsburg graduate, won the senior girls division by 10 shots with a score of 85-79-164. Crystal Lake South’s Rylee Rud (91-83-174) and West Dundee’s Hailey Vogt (90-84-174) tied for second, while Dundee-Crown’s Sophie Morawski (91-84-175) was fourth and Huntley’s Aubrey Dingbaum (89-91-180) was fifth.

Klotz said she was happy to play at Boone Creek again after having a lot of familiarity with it during high school as the Skyhawks’ home course.

“This is probably my favorite course,” Klotz said. “I know it like the back of my hand. I had a few really good drives today. It was either I would have good putting on a hole or a good drive on a hole, but it didn’t always happen at the same time.”

Klotz won the Kishwaukee River Conference individual championship as a senior and led the Skyhawks to sectionals as a team for the ninth consecutive season. She qualified for the Class 1A state meet and took 45th overall.

She plans on studying economics her freshman year at the University of Illinois and still may find some time for golf on the side.

“Last year was exciting,” Klotz said. “Seeing my teammates in the past like Ellie Johnson go to state, I didn’t think I would ever get there. I really do have fun out there. It’s relaxing, and I get to hang out with friends and family.”

Woodstock’s Jordan Chang won the girls junior division, which plays two rounds of nine holes, with a 50-47-97. Prairie Ridge’s Grace Mertel (56-46-102) was second and Crystal Lake Central’s Kaylen Kaczmarek (55-53-108) was third.