Talented junior class leads Port Huron Northern boys golf to MAC White title

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — Since 2015, whenever the calendar year ends in an odd number, the Port Huron Northern boys golf team has captured a conference championship.

That trend continued Thursday when the Huskies (7-1) clinched the MAC White title outright with a 171-178 win over Utica and a simultaneous loss by Clinton Township Chippewa Valley.

"It's a really good feeling," junior Luke Maher after the victory at Stony Creek Metropark Golf Course. "We played well today. (Utica) was a team that we felt we should beat and we played them well here. We had some bad holes and we just came back from it well. We were lucky to clutch up and then, (Harrison Township) L'Anse Creuse, they did their part to help us, too."

"These guys have been working hard," Northern coach Kyle Whymer said. "I'm just proud at their effort to just keep getting better. I'm happy for them."

Maher shot a 40 to lead the Huskies. Of the team's eight dual matches, Thursday was actually the first time he didn't finish as the overall medalist. That's hardly a knock on the junior, who's been Northern's best player this season.

"I knew he had it in him," Whymer said. "He's 100% percent committed to (the game). He's got a setup in his garage where he bought himself a (golf) simulator and he works hard at it all winter long ... so I knew he's been working on it. I saw him hitting balls at tryouts and was like, 'Wow, he's gotten better at ball-striking.' "

Added Whymer: "He's had great rounds, obviously, throughout the season. But he's kind of putting it together right now — just shooting that 75 the other day at Flint Golf Club was quite a round. So he's coming into form."

Whymer was referring to Monday's Charger Invitational. The Huskies competed with some of the top teams in the state, such as Orchard Lake St. Mary's, Flint Powers and Warren De La Salle. Maher finished sixth out of 113 participants with his 18-hole score.

"I'd say I've improved quite a bit (from last year)," Maher said. "(Especially with) my irons. It's mainly an approach shot in. As long as I can get that close and give myself a putt, I'm playing the best golf I can."

When asked if it's the best golf he's ever played, the junior said he's "gotten to that point."

The Huskies have also seen consistent results from juniors Aidan McElroy and Kyren Bruno, the latter of which has been the biggest surprise.

"He came out of nowhere," Whymer said. "Kyren was playing other sports and he was telling me last year at school that he could play. I was like, 'Well come out, show up and show me.' And he has. He's been really good."

"I feel a lot more comfortable now," Bruno said in comparison to the start of the season. "I'm a lot better at putting (than I was then)."

Bruno delivered in crunch time during Northern's dual match against Macomb Dakota on May 2. His par on the 9th hole gave the Huskies a one-stroke victory.

"He's a big part of why we won the league," Whymer said. "We were going to lose that match (against Dakota) and he came through clutch."

With the conference title in hand, Northern has turned its attention to next week's divisional and county tournaments.

"We're going to be practicing as much as we can, probably every day," Maher said. "Hitting the range, putting and just working on our game as much as we can. Because we've got guys who want to play and it's a great environment to play in. We've got a week or two more to work on it and we'll be there. We'll be ready for it."

"You can tell who really can play as the season goes on and the kids get better and better," Whymer said. "And I think we're doing that right now."

Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Talented junior class leads PH Northern boys golf to MAC White title