Cambridge's boys golf team, ranked No. 1 by the Golf Coaches Association in Division 3 all season, withstood tough conditions to shoot 316 and win Tuesday's Capitol Conference Championship, which was contested at the Legend of Bergamont.
The Blue Jays are league champions for the third straight season and their No. 1 player, junior Kian Bystol-Flores, won conference tournament medalist honors for the second year in a row.
Bystol-Flores was over par early in his round but bounced back to shoot 1-under 71 and shoot the low individual round by seven strokes over Lodi senior Walter Beld. Bystol-Flores brings home the conference's Player of the Year award for the second straight season and has now won seven consecutive tournaments.
"Kian started slow but came on strong," first-year Cambridge boys golf coach Vern Lee said. "He's that kind of player. He just stuck with it. Kian's a grinder who doesn't lose his patience or his temper. He takes every shot as it is."
Cambridge senior Cade Nottestad shot 79 and took third, also claiming first-team all-league honors, while freshman Ben Baker shot 80 to finish fourth.
"Cade hung in there despite not getting off to the start he wanted," Lee said. "Cade was disappointed in his score and he's very competitive and likes to compare himself to Kian, which is tough to do. Cade will play next year at UW-Stout.
"Ben is a good athlete and has a good head on his shoulders. Ben is one of those guys that every time I was on the course last summer, he and his brother Jack were on the course too. They just absolutely love golf, both of them."
Junior Matt Buckman rounded out the Blue Jays' tally by shooting 86, while freshman Jack Baker's round of 90 was not counted.
Defending state champion Cambridge finished 30 strokes clear of second-place New Glarus.
"We played strong golf and earned a good team victory," Lee said. "When you have Kian and Cade, two of the top 25 players regardless of division on your team as a Division 3 school, that's pretty darn good. We have quality depth behind them too, including all the way down to the sixth and seventh spots on the team."
Cambridge's regional is at Ives Grove Golf Links in Sturtevant on Wednesday, May 22.
"These guys just love to play golf," Lee said. "That's hard to teach. It's hard to find people who just love to play the sport. We've had a very successful season and the kids have been great. The parents have been so supportive too."
Team scores: Cambridge 316, New Glarus 346, Lakeside Lutheran 351, Lodi 351, Monticello/Belleville 359, Lake Mills 361, Columbus 382, Wisconsin Heights 397.
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