ELGIN – Doubtful that John Carroll will make repeat morning runs to McDonald’s a pre-round tradition, but on Monday, the unconventional itinerary worked out well for the Elburn teenager.
Carroll was scheduled to tee off at 7:30 a.m. as the first group out at an Illinois Junior Golf Association tournament at The Highlands of Elgin, but a two-hour weather delay created a ragged morning.
“I went to McDonald’s a couple times because we had two delays,” Carroll said. “I came back, thought I had to play, and then went back again.”
When it was finally go-time for real, the St. Charles North senior delivered a 3-over-par 75, which seemed like it might be enough to take the title for a chunk of the afternoon. A competitor in one of the last few groups in the 16-18 boys division, Ryan Craig, of Huntley, came in one stroke better at 74, so Carroll finished runner-up in the 39-player field.
While the delay was hardly ideal, the up-side to the wet morning were softer greens that allowed Carroll to take aim at the pins more boldly. Carroll hopes the quality round is a momentum-generator for a busy summer of tournaments ahead.
“I think they’re pretty important because I’m trying to play golf in college, and these help a lot, if you do well in them,” Carroll said.
Carroll was North’s No. 3 golfer for much of last season behind Stephen Gow and Nate Clark, both of whom will golf collegiately at Carthage in the fall. Gow was part of Monday’s field as well, and said he has detected improvements to Carroll’s swing and tempo.
“He’s picked up the pace,” Gow said. “We used to call him ‘slow-mo,’ because he used to be so slow, but he’s picked it up. It’s going to be fun watching to see how they do next year.”
Gow played in the group behind Carroll. He said he still was at home when he heard about the weather delays, so he went back to bed – twice – before shooting an 80, landing in 11th place.
“Highlands, I’m pretty familiar with the front nine, but back nine I’ve only played it once, and that was awhile ago, so there were a lot of blind shots,” Gow said. “But that’s just part of the game. ... You’ve got to be able to hit shots that you’re not really used to hitting.”
Among the field’s Tri-Cities area contingent, only Carroll and Geneva’s Sam McKinney finished ahead of Gow.
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