BLOOMINGTON — Brendan O’Reilly plays golf like he’s a machine, but the Hinsdale Central junior proved he is human after all at the Class 3A state boys golf tournament.
O’Reilly, who committed to Illinois, is one of the top high school golfers in the Chicago area, but golf can humble the best of players. O’Reilly experienced that during the front nine of the second round on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the state tournament at the Den at Fox Creek Golf Course.
In typical O’Reilly fashion, he began the tournament on Friday with a 1-over-par 73 and was just one shot behind Neuqua Valley senior Nick Walker. But O’Reilly struggled on Day 2 and wound up with his worst score of the season, an 81. He ended the tournament shooting 154 and tied for seventh.
“To shoot in the 80s, for me means I’m probably not playing well or I’m making mental errors,” O’Reilly said.
But his saved his most important shot for last.
As the final Hinsdale Central player on the course, he faced an important putt when he stepped on the last green. He made his eight-foot putt to clinch the fourth consecutive state championship for the Red Devils (621), which held off New Trier (624) and Neuqua Valley (625) by narrow margins.
“We needed a 2-putt from him for the team to win,” Red Devils senior Drew Shepherd said. “When he made that putt, it was a big relief.”
O’Reilly’s putt capped a streak of four straight pars and gave him a 37 on the back nine with just two bogeys.
“Starting out on 10, I figured I’ve got to battle,” he said. “This is not the tournament you want to give up.”
Earlier in the day, O’Reilly had started his second round with a par, but his hopes for an individual title quickly disappeared with three consecutive bogeys. He wound up shooting 44 on the front.
After a triple bogey on the 521-yard, par-5 fifth and another bogey on No. 6, O’Reilly dropped to 17th place on the leaderboard after just six holes. Other Red Devils also struggled on the front nine as their 10-stroke lead over New Trier to begin the second day shrunk to two.
On the par-5 ninth hole, O’Reilly drove 355 yards and hit a 130-yard shot that rolled off the front of the green to set up a tough eagle attempt. O’Reilly’s chip then rolled 15 feet past the cup. In frustration, he turned and tried to toss his club at his bag, but missed.
“I don’t recommend anyone do that,” said O’Reilly, who usually plays without showing emotion. “After that, I figured I was for sure out of the running (individually).”
Even after the struggles on the front nine, he still had the team title to play for. He said assistant coach Jim Horan shared a few words at the turn, informing him, “We’re deadlocked with New Trier.”
Red Devils coach Jess Krueger said he wasn’t concerned about O’Reilly after the front nine. With four major tournament titles, including the West Suburban Silver championship, O’Reilly has delivered in the clutch.
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“Everyone struggled. You’ve got to play through it,” Krueger said.
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