October 30, 2009

Seth Schwartz
Special to Rivals High

Arlington Heights (Ill.) St. Viator golf coach Jack Halpin credits Danny Stringfellow, Joe Carlson and Brad Klune for turning a solid team into a state power.

Those three - and a guy named Tiger Woods.

Halpin, who has been coaching golf in Illinois for 16 years, figured Tiger Woods couldn' help but have an impact on the game at the youth level. A few years ago, he found out just how much.

"Before Tiger, it just wasn't cool to play golf," Halpin said. "In the last five years you're seeing a much better athlete coming out [for golf]. You have guys 6-2, 200 pounds; that kid used to be playing football or basketball. Golf was looked at as a country club sport 15-20 years ago; that's not the case anymore. You're seeing great athletes coming into the sport now."

When Danny Stringfellow, Joe Carlson and Brad Klune walked onto the course in 2006, the Lions became on par with Illinois' best.

They were ready to play from Day One.

At age 10, the trio partook in IJGA competition. By high school they were involved in national tournaments.

"Those three raised it to another level," Halpin said. "They took their teammates under their wing and mentored them. The other kids saw what kind of work ethic was required and it helped everyone else to buy in."

The effort has paid off.

In mid October, St. Viator became the first team in 65 years to win three consecutive titles in Illinois. This time, they carded a 611 to finish eight strokes ahead of New Trier to take the Class 3A championship at The Den at Fox Creek Golf Course in Bloomington, Ill.

"We were able to make the 3- to 5- foot putts," Halpin said. "On the back nine it came down to our experience and guts. This was our fourth year here; we've been here and done that."

Not just experience in high school events. Halpin knows golf is a year-round sport.

"We want to have our guys play 15 tournaments over the summer," he said. "It's a stepping stone."

It's been a long journey for Halpin, now 131-20 overall.

In the fall of 1999, the Lions first served notice when they went Downstate. With only two teams qualifying from the sectional, Chicago area squads capable of taking a trophy often miss the cut by a couple strokes due to the fierce competition.

"We had one of our best teams in 2001, but we didn't get out," Halpin said. "We beat Hinsdale Central this year three times by a stroke and they didn't make it out."

Stringfellow, Carlson and Klune helped St. Viator reach the next level.

In their initial trip Downstate in 2006, the Lions shot 614, four strokes behind Normal U-High [the host school]. The Lions realized they were only a chip shot away.

"That was a great feeling," said Stringfellow, who is ranked 70th in the country and will play at Auburn next fall. "Nobody had heard of us until then. We knew we'd get better over the summer and we'd have a chance to win it the next year."

It did.

In 2007, they won with a 600.

Last fall, riding the back of Carlson, who tied the state record with a sizzling seven-under par 137, St. Viator posted a 583 [seven-over par] to win by 15 strokes and set the team state mark.

"Those two days were the most focused I'd ever been; everything came together," Carlson stated. "Coach Halpin told us [in eighth grade] if we came to St. Viator we'd win at least one state championship."

With a chance to make history, the Lions approached a potential three-peat with veteran poise and completed the task. And had fun doing it.

"We just tried to enjoy it as much as possible; I don't know if it's sunk in yet," Stringfellow said. "We didn't play great, but we were solid enough."

It was a great run for the three.

"We're all best friends," Klune said. "I don't think any of our games would be where they are without our competitiveness. We drove each other to excel. If we saw something was wrong we'd correct each other. We always wanted everyone to succeed."

Just like that fellow named Tiger Woods.

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