SHILOH – Edwardsville's Ben Tyrell has been a standout for the Tigers golf team all season and he paced the team with a second place individual finish on Tuesday in the IHSA Class 3A Belleville East Regional tournament at the par-71, 6,133-yard Clinton Hill Golf Course in Shiloh.
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The Tigers fired a team 311, good for second place and advanced into Monday's Class 3A Homewood-Flossmoor Sectional in Crete; Quincy and O'Fallon also advanced as teams to the sectional.
Tyrell knows the Tigers will have to play better in order to move into the Oct. 13-14 Class 3A state tournament in Bloomington.
“It's definitely a good thing we're moving on,” Tyrell said, “but we're going to a lot better if we're going to make it out as a team.”
The sectional will be at the par-72, 6,264-yard Balmoral Woods Golf Course in the Chicago suburb of Crete; it's a narrow, tricky course and Tyrell knows what the key to success on the course there is.
“Hit fairways, hit greens, and we'll be fine,” Tyrell said. “It's a tight course but I like it a lot, so it should be really fun.”
“I hit my driver pretty well, but other than that, I struggled a little bit,” Tyrell, a senior, said following his 2-over 73 that put him in a tie for second with Quincy's T.J. Wensing and Springfield's Zach Richmond, a shot behind Quincy's Parker Campbell, who fired a 1-over 72 to take medalist honors on the day.
“I missed a few putts, but other than that, it wasn't very good; I need to work on ball striking a little bit. My irons, get them a little closer to the pin – that's the biggest thing I need to work on,” Tyrell said.
Tuesday's conditions weren't the most idea; the day started off cloudy and breezy before rain, thunder and lighting rolled through in the early afternoon, causing a brief delay in play. Rain rolled through the course later in the afternoon as the tournament was coming to an end.
“It was a little windy, but I tried to focus and not worry about it,” Tyrell said. “The rain didn't bother me; I made three birdies when it was raining, so it didn't really bother me. We just needed to finish better to come out with the win, so it'll be something to work on for next week.”
