I made some good putts and overall, I did what I needed to do in order to get through. I made a few good putts, I hit a few good shots into greens and I got up and down when I needed to.”

Ian Metzger

STERLING — Ian Metzger didn’t let issues with his driver impact his play Wednesday afternoon, when the junior recorded three birdies during his round to medal in third place and lead the Rochelle Hub varsity golf team in the IHSA 2A Sterling Regional at Emerald Hill Golf Course.

Metzger drilled key putts and took advantage of great weather conditions, finishing with a 4-over-par 76 to clinch a sectional berth for the third consecutive season. An All-Conference honoree in the Interstate 8 this season, Metzger overcame a double bogey on his second hole of the round, converting birdies on the par-4 12th and the par-4 16th to shoot 39 on the back nine. Metzger landed six pars and a birdie on the par-4 third for a 37 over the front nine.

“I thought I hit the ball solid,” Metzger said. “I struggled with the driver all day and I didn’t hit the fairway much, which I thought was the difference between first place and third place. I made some good putts and overall, I did what I needed to do in order to get through. I made a few good putts, I hit a few good shots into greens and I got up and down when I needed to.”

Metzger led the Hubs to a tie for fifth place out of 10 schools with a final score of 355. Rochelle (11-3, 4-1 Interstate 8) was in the mix throughout the afternoon, sitting as high as third place on the leaderboard before being jumped by Sterling and third-place finisher Geneseo. Now a three-time sectional qualifier, Metzger will look to break through to state during the IHSA 2A Kaneland Sectional, which will be held at Hughes Creek Golf Course on Monday, Oct. 7. The Hubs have not had a boy advance to the state tournament since Noah Griffith in 2017.

“It’s a tight course, but the greens aren’t bad and I know I’ll have to keep the ball in the middle,” Metzger said. “There will be some good players there, but there won’t be anything I haven’t seen before… I need to be consistent, take it one shot at a time and keep mistakes minimal.”

Joining Metzger at the sectional tournament will be sophomore Alex Dyer, who took 10th overall and advanced as an at-large individual with an 85 on Wednesday. Also an All-Conference winner in the Interstate 8 this season, Dyer showed consistency throughout his regional round, carding 10 pars and opening with 42 on the back before following with 43 on the front. Now a two-time sectional qualifier, Dyer will also be seeking his first trip to the state tournament.

“I thought I played pretty decently,” Dyer said. “There are a lot of things I need to work on going into sectionals. I thought I putted the ball very well, but I struggled from 150 yards and in, which is what I’ll need to work on the most going into sectionals. I knew that hitting the fairways was going to be the key to putting the ball on the green. The rough was really tall and I knew the greens would be really fast. I felt confident coming in and I knew I had to avoid the big number.”

Rochelle came within a few strokes of sending a third player to the sectional on Monday. Sophomore Johnny Chadwick tied for 21st overall with a 94 after 18 holes and finished in a three-way tie with Sterling’s Maurice DeLaCruz and Princeton’s Kaiden Coomer for the 10th and final at-large qualifying slot. Despite a promising tee shot, Chadwick fell just short in the end, carding a double bogey while Coomer landed a par to take the final sectional qualifying spot.

Sophomores Owen Carmichael and Connor Lewis finished with respective scores of 100 and 104, while senior Chris Hickey added a 114 to round out the varsity players for Rochelle.