EAST LANSING — Brighton is in a position to match its best finish in a state boys golf tournament.
The state Division 1 championship might be out of reach for the Bulldogs, with pretournament favorite Detroit Catholic Central building an 11-shot lead on Friday, June 6, at Forest Akers West.
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The Shamrocks shot 283, but Brighton finished at 294 to hold second place. It's two shots ahead of Ada Forest Hills Northern and four clear of Rochester Adams.
The final round will be played at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 7.
A second-place showing would equal the Bulldogs’ highest finish in a state tournament. The 1967 team was second to Swartz Creek in the Class B finals. Brighton has finished third five times since then, including 2022 and 2023.
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Brighton's Adam Forcier is tied for seventh with a 70 after the first round of the state Division 1 golf finals.
Brighton's Adam Forcier is tied for seventh with a 70 after the first round of the state Division 1 golf finals.
Junior Adam Forcier led Brighton by shooting 2-under-par 70, in a tie for seventh place individually. Seniors Jackson Frelich and Jacob Daavettila are tied for 18th with 74s, and sophomore Grady Bissett is tied for 30th with a 76 to round out Brighton’s score. Junior Brandon Lovejoy shot a 77 that didn’t count in the team score.
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Howell is in a three-way tie for seventh place with Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham Brother Rice at 306.
Senior Rory Sturos of Howell is tied for 14th with a 73. Zach Spencer shot 75, Derek Kantola 78 and Gavin Hill 80 to complete the Highlanders’ score. An 81 by Luke Downing didn’t count in the team score.
State Division 1 boys golf finals
Team scoring: 1. Detroit Catholic Central 283; 2. Brighton 294; 3. Ada Forest Hills Northern 296; 4. Rochester Adams 298; 5. Warren De La Salle 304; 6. Rockford 305; 7. Howell, Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham Brother Rice 306; 10. Lake Orion 310; 11. Davison 312; 12. Muskegon Mona Shores 316; 13. Midland Dow and Grosse Pointe South 322; 15. South Lyon East 323; 16. Detroit U-D Jesuit and Romeo 326; 18. Ann Arbor Pioneer 327.
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Top individuals: Dillon Che (Detroit Catholic Central) 68; Connor Fox (Lake Orion) 68; Jack Whitmore (Detroit Catholic Central) 69; Grant Ofield (Forest Hills Northern 69; Julian Sinishtaj (Warren De La Salle) 69; Ian Masih (Okemos) 69; Adam Forcier (Brighton) 70; William Latchana (Davison) 70; Kaiden Dressler (Rockford) 71; Leo Bugajewski (Bloomfield Hills) 71; Jack Vogel (Rochester Adams) 71.
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Michigan high school golf: Brighton second in Division 1 team race after Round 1