Miscues cost North's Katz section title
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Williamsville North's Jake Katz placed third at the Section VI Boys Golf championships on Monday, May 14 at Brierwood Country Club. Photo by John Normile Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

When Williamsville North's Jake Katz won the Section VI boys golf championship last year, he hit all of his long putts while friend Matt Stasiak of Clarence was eight shots back and placed third. This year, the exact opposite happened.

Stasiak made all of the shots when he needed to en route to a section-best score of 107 while Katz finished third with a 112. Sectionals were held Monday, May 14 at Brierwood Country Club in Hamburg.

Mistakes cost Katz. On the second hole of his first front nine, Katz said he hooked a shot right and the ball hit a tree. On the same hole, he hit into a bunker. He wound up double-bogeying the hole.

In the afternoon session, Katz was 25 yards ahead of Stasiak on the third hole but hit into a bunker and eventually bogeyed while Stasiak hit onto the green and birdied. Before the hole, Katz was only three shots back of Stasiak.

"That kind of swung it his way," said Katz. "I was six shots back, and I knew I couldn't catch up."

Katz said he's disappointed that he couldn't defend the section title but hopes to improve on his past performances at the New York State Championships held June 3-4 at Cornell University's Robert Trent Jones Golf Course.

He tied for 44th as a sophomore and tied for 32nd last year. The top nine section finishers qualify for states.

"I think this is going to be the year," said Katz. "Last year, the greens were difficult and my putting wasn't spectacular. That cost me a lot of shots. Now that I know the course, I'll know where to go so it will be to my advantage."

Kenmore East's Kris Boyes, who finished second with a 111 and Eden's Doug Steen (114), Southwestern's Craig Stoddard (115), Iroquois' Steve Thompson (117), Medina's Andrew Misiti (119), Kenmore West's Scott Moser (119) and Fredonia's Mike Ringler (119) also advanced. Lew-Port's Matt Petrosian was an alternate with a 120.

North's E.J. Kuebler (89) and Williamsville South's Sean Mahon (92) and Justin Cardon (84) did not qualify for the afternoon session. The cut was 83.

In other North golf news: Katz sank a hole-in-one on the 15th hole at Westwood Country Club on Friday, May 11. It is a par-4 and 370 yards. Katz said it's the second time he's had a hole-in-one at Westwood. When he was 11, he recorded a hole-in-one on the third hole at Westwood, a par-3.