ROCHELLE — Griffin Ohlinger switched up his mental approach before teeing off his junior season for the Rochelle Hub varsity golf team this week. Rather than focus on his score during each hole, Ohlinger’s mind has been set on finishing each round to the best of his ability.

That approach enabled him to card three birdies, including back-to-back birdies over the final two holes, and turn in an even-par 36 when Rochelle hosted the Sandwich Indians at Fairways Golf Course on Wednesday for the team’s first Interstate 8 match of the season. The Indians edged out the Hubs by six strokes, with Sandwich scoring 199 and Rochelle totaling 205.

“I’ve changed my approach from last year to this year,” Ohlinger said. “I’m playing each round all the way through and not focusing on my score from each hole. I think that’s really helped me mentally, especially with my putting… Putting has become a much better part of my game as I’ve practiced more and that’s helped me cut a lot of strokes off of my score. The biggest things for me are getting off the tee box and putting and I’m hitting the ball much longer off the tee.”

Junior Damen Harrington carded 52 for the Hubs, while senior Rowan Williams and junior Wade Smith rounded out Rochelle’s top four scores with 58 and 59. With only four varsity players on the roster, head coach Glen Mehrings and the Hubs will lean heavily on Ohlinger, who’s entering his third varsity season and is looking to fill the shoes vacated by four-time IHSA State Championship qualifier Megan Thiravong, who now plays for Saginaw Valley State University.

“It feels great to be on the course again,” Ohlinger said. “My first meet was pretty rough but I thought I rebounded well. I’ve set the bar pretty high for myself and I’m always looking to shoot better than I did in the previous meet. It’s going to be challenging mentally, but I think I should be in good shape as long as I go out there and play my game of golf. I want to fill Megan’s shoes and I want to help my teammates as much as I can with whatever they’re struggling with.”

Tuesday

Rochelle teed off its season with a nonconference triangular meet against Dixon and Freeport at Timber Creek on Tuesday. The Hubs finished third with 219 while Freeport took second with 193 and Dixon won with 181.

Juniors Griffin Ohlinger (44) and Damen Harrington (54) carded the low scores for Rochelle (0-3), while senior Rowan Williams added 59 in the match. Junior Wade Smith chipped in 62.