Division 1 Golf Finals: Brother Rice Finishes Day One In Third Place

ROCHESTER — The Brother Rice varsity golf team is in a good position for day two of the Division 1 golf state finals Saturday at Katke-Cousins Golf Course.

The Warriors finished Friday with a combined score of 305. They are in third place, only eight strokes back of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, who finished the day in first place with a 297. Detroit Catholic Central is in second with a score of 304.

The same three teams finished in the top three last year. Catholic Central won the team state championship by 14 strokes over Forest Hills while Brother Rice finished third.

Out of the 15 schools competing this year, only four finished the first day with scores under 310 strokes.

“It’s a nice position to be,” Brother Rice coach Dan Bumpus said. “It’s reachable, but we have to make up some ground. The guys felt they left some shots on the course today. If they play well, we’ll be in a good position and see what happens.”

Nick Dennis, Sean Friel and Lucas Belanger all competed in the state finals last year for Brother Rice. Dennis had the Warriors' top score in 2010 (144 total) and he picked up right where he left off.

The senior is only one shot back of the individual lead with a par 72 after 18 holes. Dennis tied for sixth last year and hopes he can win it all this weekend.

“This is his second time at states, (he) finished in the top 10 last year,” Bumpus said. “I know it was his goal to do well and bring home an individual title. He’s got to manage his game around here, and hit the ball in the right spots. You really have to pick your places out here (and know) when to be aggressive and when not to be.”

Bumpus will regroup with all his golfers Friday night and tell them just that. He doesn’t want his team attacking the pin on every hole trying to make up strokes, pointing to holes like No. 4 and No. 14 where the best approach isn’t always an aggressive one.

“You have to take your medicine on some of these holes,” Bumpus said. “You have to put the ball in the right places.”

Brother Rice’s last championship was in 1998 and they were runners-up in 2006. Bumpus doesn’t want his team focused too much on bringing home a title. Anything can happen in the final round and he said the best approach will be to start tomorrow thinking everyone is even.

“Today’s round, whether you’re leading or in back of the pack, it means nothing,” Bumpus said. “You can’t compare two rounds back to back, it will drive you crazy. You can’t go out and think about what other people are doing.”

And sometimes being a frontrunner isn’t the best place to be at the end of the first day.

“It’s tough sleeping on a lead,” Bumpus said, laughing. “We’ve been there before and it hasn’t worked out."

The tournament continues at 8 a.m. Saturday. The start time was moved up an hour after officials saw there is a potential for rain.