It’s always good to win and my confidence has increased a lot this summer. I’ve played a lot better in tournaments and I’m competing against some of the better players in the state, which I think will help me a lot.”

Ian Metzger

ROCHELLE — Ian Metzger’s improved chipping allowed him to take advantage of soft greens and minimize his mistakes during the 12th Annual Dennis Berg Memorial Tournament at Fairways Golf Course, where Metzger was crowned the youngest club champion in history.

Metzger carded just one double bogey and went up and down on six of his last 10 holes during the 54-hole tournament, scoring a 9-over-par 207 to edge out runner-up finisher Colton Guy by two strokes. Metzger, who will be entering his junior season with the Rochelle Township High School golf team this fall, opened the tournament with a 1-over-par 67 over his first 18 holes.

“I played solid golf during the first day,” Metzger said. “My second day wasn’t great, but I knew what I needed to shoot… It’s a nice feeling to be the youngest winner ever and I had a lot of fun. The course was in great shape and Mitch [Hamilton] does a great job with it. I play there every day, sometimes twice a day. The greens had good speed and they were holding true with all of the rain we had recently. I was able to throw some wedges in there and get the ball closer.”

Metzger followed his first 18 holes with a 3-over-par 69 and a 5-over-par 71 over the next 36 holes to clinch his historic victory. Metzger, who won the Interstate 8 Conference tournament with the Hubs during his sophomore season, has played eight tournaments this summer in preparation for his junior season this fall. While he admitted he wasn’t sharp with his irons, Metzger said that some adjustments to his chipping led to fewer putts during his rounds.

“If I wasn’t getting up and down on those last few holes, I wouldn’t have won,” Metzger said. “I was chipping the ball within 3 feet of the cup and giving myself easy up-and-down pars, which made my final round less stressful than if I had to make a lot of putts… It’s always good to win and my confidence has increased a lot this summer. I’ve played a lot better in tournaments and I’m competing against some of the better players in the state, which I think will help me a lot.”

Metzger is one of multiple players who will likely be back in action for the RTHS golf team this coming season. A two-time IHSA sectional qualifier and a one-time All-Conference First Team honoree in the Interstate 8, Metzger said his goals for this fall include winning more matches and tournaments, making the state meet and defending his title at the conference tournament. 

“We should definitely win more matches as a team,” Metzger said. “We’ll try to be competitive in the conference and hopefully we’ll have a chance to win the conference as a team. My goal is to make the state meet and win the conference tournament again. Winning the regional and sectional tournaments and some of our other invites would definitely make for a good season.”

Guy finished second with an 11-over-par 209, while former club champion Jon Woeppel and RTHS alum Garrett Glosser tied for third place in the championship flight. Bill Kubale won the senior championship for the third time in four years, shooting rounds of 77 and 73 for a final score of 150. Greg Folmar finished first with 231 and Tony Turner took second in the A flight.