Lakeland Golf Ends Successful Season in Regionals

It was going to be a tall task for the Lakeland golf team to advance to the state finals. 

Unfortunately the Eagles played very well, but collectively not their best match of the season. Lakeland placed seventh out of 12 regional qualifiers on a breezy afternoon at Lyon Oaks Golf Course in Wixom Thursday afternoon. 

Freshman Jake Kneen continued his very strong play at the end of the season firing a team-best 77. Kneen just missed qualifying for an individual playoff that would determine a spot in the state finals by one stroke. Alex Kleckner shot an 80, senior Ty Bouwens an 82 and Justin Pahl an 83 to round out the top four for the Eagles. 

“While we are sad our season is over, the future looks bright for the golf program here at Lakeland,” said Eagle head coach Hugh Felt. “We have a number of top underclassmen and I expect many of our players to continue improving this offseason.”  

The regional matched four of the top-ranked teams in the state, and Birmingham Brother Rice, Novi Catholic Central and Pinckney all advanced to the state finals. Birmingham Seaholm’s Francesco Ruffino was the medalist with a 69. North Farmington finished in fourth in the team standings, six strokes back of Pinckney. 

Felt also credited Bouwens with strong leadership on and off the course. 

“He’s been a great mentor to our younger players and I think a big reason why they have been so successful,” Felt said. 

Kneen, Kleckner and Pahl are all freshman. Along with current junior Joey Lepkowski, Lakeland will return four of its top five scoring golfers next spring.