Storm wipes out DAC golf tournament near end

Chesterton was locked in a tight duel with Valparaiso as the DAC golf tournament drew to a close at Sand Creek. Then the thunder came. Lightning flashed across the gray sky and Jill McCoy, the course's professional instructor, sounded the horn that suspended play Tuesday afternoon.

The storm remained in place, play never resumed and, per league bylaws, none of the scores counted, even those of players who completed their round.

Paul Scott of Chesterton finished in a tie. His twin, Phil, was staring at a 30-foot eagle putt and needed a two-putt to move to 1 under. Joe Ennis was heading towards a score of around 1. Noah Bazil had a good chance to go over 80.

It turned out that the 3-iron head that Bo Scott uses to tee off on many holes picked a good day to fly out 20 minutes after he teeed off. Playing without, he did not play well enough for his score to be used as one of the four that would make up the team's score. In the end, no one's score mattered. Aidan Gutierrez of Valparaiso, the 2022 state champion, shot 2 under and would have been the low medalist.

Eighteen of the 40 players had completed their rounds and the rest of the field still had one or two holes to play.

“We're going to finish under 300 without using our best player's score,” Chesterton coach Pat Ward said before the storm arrived. “This is what I’ve been waiting for all season.”

This is why, even if it did not count, the round was not a waste of time for the Trojans. Instead, it was all the more reason for players to feel confident heading into the playoffs after a regular season that didn't go as well early in the schedule as it did later.