Look at him now.
Sandburg senior Brad Vetter never quite caught the eyes of college recruiters. Instead, in what could have been the last match of his career, Vetter forced everyone at Tuesday’s Class 3A Sandburg Regional to look up to him atop the scoreboard.
Vetter carded a 2-over 73 at Silver Lake’s North Course to earn medalist honors, leading Sandburg to a regional title in the nine-team tournament.
“I put in a lot of effort to get recruited,” Vetter said. “I made a swing video. I sent it off to a lot of coaches. But I couldn’t play at the level that I wanted to, so I’d rather go academic and focus on my major. It all turned out good in the end.”
Vetter fired an even-par 35 over the back nine to outlast Marist’s Perry Chong (76).
“I thrive off pressure,” Vetter said. “I feel it on the greens especially. If I have a short putt that I need to make and I know what it’s for, I usually make it. I get settled in, more in the zone, and I prepare better.”
Vetter lifted Sandburg to a 312 for its fifth regional title in six years. Andrew Barvinek and Matt James tied for third overall with 79s, while freshman Max Farley, the SouthWest Suburban Blue medalist, chipped in an 81 for the Eagles.
Chong, a regional runner-up last year, led Marist (323) to a second-place finish. He was in line to contend with Vetter for medalist honors but lost his ball on No. 14 and took an 8. Chong managed to bounce back and shoot a birdie on the next hole.
“It’s really about perseverance,” Chong said. “If it already happened, there’s no point in thinking about it. Move on, persevere, keep pushing through. That’s what I did.”
Chong missed the cut for state last season by a single stroke but is using that experience to his advantage as a senior.
“It hurt a lot, but if in life, if you don’t fail, then you won’t become the best,” Chong said.
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Jeff Reidy added a 79 for Marist to tie for third overall. Comac Lee and Dave O’Neil fired 84s to contribute for the RedHawks.
“Perry’s key as our No. 1,” Reidy said. “It’s always exciting to see your teammates play well. We’re a good group of guys. We’re all upperclassmen and have been on the team for a while.”
Fighting for the third and final sectional-qualifying spot, Brother Rice (331) topped Stagg (345) behind Mike Stanton’s 80 and Liam Sweeney’s 81.
“I’m happy with the score as long as we move on,” said Sweeney, the Crusaders’ lone returning state qualifier. “During the season, I haven’t been playing that well. (Stanton’s) been taking over.”
Stagg’s Jake McFarland and Tommy Zimmer each carded 83s to lead the top 10 individual sectional advancers.
Logan Malloy is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.