Neuqua Valley senior Jack Vercautren knew his final shot of Tuesday’s DuPage Valley Meet was a big one.
He just didn’t realize how big it really was.
Vercautren sunk a 30-foot birdie putt from the fringe to put the finishing touches on a solid 73 at Bartlett Hills. It also gave Neuqua the team title by one stroke over Wheaton Warrenville South, with 301 to 302.
“I had no idea,” Vercautren said. “I wanted to two-putt it, actually. I wanted (the previous shot) to be closer, but I’ll take that any day. It was sweet. Hearing the roar in the background was pretty cool. I had no idea it was for the win.”
That putt capped off a stirring final four holes for Vercautren.
Neuqua coach Bart Carbonneau was starting to worry Wheaton South was going to come back and win the tournament and earn the DVC title despite the fact the Wildcats went 8-0 in conference regular-season play.
Vercautren birdied three of the final four holes to dramatically swing the pendulum Neuqua’s way.
“That was absolutely unreal,” Carbonneau said. “We were up here on the balcony watching it. Last I checked with him, he was five over with four to go. He finished two over.
“The last one was so dramatic. It just dropped in. It’s really exciting.”
A good omen came early in the day when Griffen Crose, Neuqua’s No. 7 golfer, posted a 78. That score wound up counting. Ben Clavey shot a 77 and Michael Rhee matched Vercautren’s 73 for the Wildcats.
“I’m really proud of the guys,” Carbonneau said. “They came in with the target on their back and they responded to it. This is the time you want to get hot. We have a pretty solid team.
“Obviously, Jack carries a lot of weight, but Michael has been a solid No. 2 for us all year. After that, it’s been different guys. It’s pretty exciting to see.”
Naperville Central senior Tommy Dunsire tamed the Bartlett Hills spread to the tune of a 2-under 69 to earn medalist honors. The Redhawks finished fourth as a team with a 315.
Holes nine, 10 and 11 were a key stretch for Dunsire. He entered that 2-over. He came out of it 2-under.
“I went to nine and made a 15-footer for birdie,” Dunsire said. “That started giving me great momentum. Go to 10, a short little par 5, and I was green side in two and chipped in for eagle. That was nice.
“Then I kept it going on 11, put it to within a couple feet and made birdie.”
Dunsire recently made big news off the course by committing to Northern Illinois.
“It kind of takes a nice weight off my shoulders, so it feels good,” Dunsire said. “I know a lot of guys on the team. They have Rich Harvest Farms (as their home course), so there are a lot of positives that come out of that.
“It was the perfect fit for me. I’m really stoked to play with them.”
In the team race, Waubonsie Valley was right behind Naperville Central at 316, while Metea Valley and Naperville North each shot a 317.
Will Troy paced Waubonsie with a 76. Scott Boyajian shot a 75 for Metea and Carl Christiansen shot the same for North.
Paul Johnson is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun.
