OTTUMWA —
Michael Wetrich has been haunting the Ottumwa Country Club since he was three.
“I definitely know the course very well,” the 2010 Ottumwa graduate said.
Given his familiarity with the country club, perhaps it’s appropriate that Wetrich, who plays golf for the University of Northern Iowa, would be the one to shatter two of the club’s records.
In May, Wetrich — while teeing off from the blue tee — which is further back from the white tee on every hole; shot a 61 on a round of 18, which borke the previous record of 62 set by John Burgett in the summer of 2011.
“I just hit the ball well and made some putts,” he said.
Though Wetrich was well aware of the course record, he said it didn’t weigh heavily on his mind that day.
“I was just playing,” he said.
Before his record-breaking round, Wetrich said the closest he came to breaking the record was when he shot a round of 64.
Wetrich’s exploits at the country club, however, were far from finished. In June, he had another excellent round — this time he shot a 60 while shooting from the white tee — the former record was 61.
“I eagled all the par fives when I shot 60,” he said.
When he’s back home, Wetrich said he makes sure to hit the links as often as possible.
“I just want to keep improving and doing the best I can,” he said.
One person who wasn’t at a bit surprised to hear about Wetrich’s golf feats, was his old Ottumwa golf coach, Mike Cardin.
“He’s definitely got it in him,” Cardin said.
When he’s not at the country club, Wetrich said he has been playing in Iowa Golf Association tournaments across the state.
During his high school years, Wetrich helped guide the Bulldog golf team to its 11th state championship in 2008. In that same year, he was named the Class 4A Player of the Year by the Iowa High School Coaches Association.
“He was just a very strong mental competitor,” Cardin said. “He never really let anything bother him. He always stayed really focused. He never gave up on anything. He always played really competitively no matter what.”
Wetrich’s golf score was counted in every meet he competed in during his four years at Ottumwa, Cardin said.
The former Bulldog great has big goals for he and his fellow UNI golfers this season.
“Our team would like to win conference and see how far we can get,” Wetrich said.
Sports
July 27, 2012
Former Ottumwa standout shatters country club records
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