Members of the Marquette boys golf team, with veteran head coach Ben Smith at left, show off their trophy and individual medals for winning the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Finals in Division 1 boys golf at the Sweetgrass Golf Club near Harris on Wednesday. (Adam Hinch photo courtesy MHSAA.com)

HARRIS — It was a great day for golf with temperatures in the 70s and light winds for the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Finals in Division 1 boys golf at the Sweetgrass Golf Club.

And Marquette’s boys played to match the outstanding conditions.

The Sentinels backed up their titles from the past two years, ending the day in first place by nearly 20 strokes. MSHS posted 295, while runner-up Escanaba had 314.

Houghton was third with 316, while Gladstone had 317 and Sault Ste. Marie 322. In this 14-team field, Westwood was eighth with 338, Manistique ninth with 344, Negaunee 10th with 346 and Gwinn 14th with 402.

Marquette junior Seve Swanson had the best day of all, posting a score of 70 that included four birdies, to win medalist honors by two strokes over teammate Boden Moore.

“The depth of our roster was the key to success today,” Marquette coach Ben Smith said. “Everyone stepped up, and our seniors set the tone and (I’m) just happy for our players.”

Swanson had to use some damage control after a double-bogey on the 14th hole. He bounced back with a birdie and three pars to finish the round.

Moore, a senior and the 2025 medalist, scored 72, highlighted by an eagle on the 11th — a 501-yard par-5 — and a pair of birdies on holes 9 and 18.

Senior teammate Jack Pond also had a good day, carding 74 with a trio of birdies as he rebounded from a tough start on the front nine that included a pair of bogeys and a double bogey all coming in the first six holes.

The Sentinels were rounded out with senior Easton Aho and Pavel McCutcheon each shooting 79 to tie for 16th overall.

Escanaba junior Jared Plourde led his team, tying Pond for third with 74.

Plourde got a birdie early on the third hole, though he closed out the front nine with a pair of bogeys. On the back nine, he birdied the 11th, but had bogeys on the next two holes before closing with five consecutive pars.

“Our boys played exceptional today,” Escanaba coach Jake Berlinski said. “Jared finished the day tied for third. I couldn’t be happier for him and for our team for the way we played today.”

Teammate Carson Artley placed fifth on the day with 75, getting birdies on the first and ninth.

“Carson was right there today,” Berlinski said. “He is one of four guys coming back next year, so our outlook is strong as we move forward to next year.”

Gladstone freshman Karson Delaney tied for sixth with 76, managing four birdies that made up for a pair of double bogeys on the back nine.

“The driver was perfect on every hole today,” Delaney said. “The putter was good too, but the wedges were shaky.”

Kingsford senior Owen Edwards also posted 76 with a pair of birdies on holes 6 and 17. Escanaba senior Owen LaBonte ended his high school career in a three-way tied for eighth place, shooting 77 to share the spot with senior Dane Saari of Negaunee and Robert Loukus from Calumet.

Saari had four birdies, while Loukus had birdies at 9 and 13.

Also for Negaunee, sophomore Kurt O’Brien shot 87, junior Connor Rajala and sophomore Ivan Churack 91 each, and senior Cash Karvonen had 92.

From Westwood, sophomore Clifford Fossitt was the pacesetter with 79, while another sophomore, Jimmy Mattila had 84. Patriots junior Kyle Krook posted 85, junior Alex Turek 90 and sophomore Eli Nutini 91.

For Manistique, senior Ajay Berger put up 83, freshman Justin Jack 84, sophomore Owen Bradley 86, senior Jackson Goudreau 91 and freshman Cohen Dougherty 92.

Representing Gwinn, senior Sage Melka and sophomore Vincent Paulson each shot 97, senior Nate Carter posted 101, junior Ean Prahm 107 and freshman Sean Hoffman 162.

Adam Hinch is a sports writer for The Daily Press of Escanaba and reported this story for the Michigan High School Athletic Association website, mhsaa.com.