Port Huron Northern boys golf reloads after losing key players, remains among league's best

It's no fluke. Not at this point in the season. The Port Huron Northern boys golf team is for real. 

The Huskies are 5-1, with all six of their matches coming against MAC White opponents. An offseason in which they lost three exceptional seniors hasn't slowed them down. 

"Now that we're going, I'm not really surprised," Northern coach Kyle Whymer said. "Because I know we've got good players."

Two of Northern's best are senior Matt Monaghan and sophomore Luke Maher. Coming into the year, they were the only ones with any real varsity experience on the roster. And they've made the most of it this season.

"It's just about getting out there and practicing every day as much as we can," Monaghan said of the Huskies' success.

"We've got a team of kids who are committed to do it, too," Maher said. "After matches, we'll go out and we'll play another nine (holes). So it's a good group of kids to have."

Fresh off a tournament win is Monaghan, who was the medalist of the LCHS Invitational with a score of 69 on Friday. That was the day after he shot a 36 (nine holes) and had three birdies in Northern's victory over Harrison Township L'Anse Creuse. 

"He can kind of do it all," Whymer said. "He's not necessarily going to drive it by everybody. But he drives it plenty far. He putts it well, knows his way around the course and he's been playing a lot of golf his whole life. It's cool to see him come into fruition."

Maher's progression has been equally impressive. 

"Luke is coming on," Whymer said. "He's just going to keep working at it. He's got a consistency that he sets up. He works on the greens, is really focused and is straight with his irons."

The sophomore had a hole-in-one during the match against L'Anse Creuse. 

"It felt really good," said Maher, who shot a 39 that day. "I had a good hole of excitement until I went on to the next hole and bogeyed. But it was a good moment." 

These two haven't done it alone, however, as multiple Huskies have lifted their games.

"We've gotten timely play from different guys in the league matches," Whymer said. "Nolan Johnston has been a huge addition. We won a match earlier this year where he shot a 38."

Others such as Danny Fealko, Aidan McElroy and Josh Simpson have also contributed.

"We've just been focused on wanting to be good," Whymer said. "These guys have put the time in even when we're not practicing. That's something where even more talented groups that I've had were like, 'Let's play nine holes and see how fast we can get out of here.' And this group has not done that."

Nobody would've blamed the Huskies for wanting to get off the course at Port Huron Elks Golf Club on Monday. Roughly five holes into their match against Utica, it began to rain. Then came thunder, lightning and even hail.

Play was stopped for an hour. But that didn't deter them. They took practice swings under the dark sky, estimated when the delay might end and chatted with their opponents.

"Our guys couldn't wait to get back on the course," Whymer said. "I was super impressed with everybody's mentality — both teams. So it's not surprising that both of them are competing for the league title."

Northern held a five-stroke lead once play resumed. Yet the thunder persisted and the decision was made to postpone the match and start all over on Thursday. No scores from Monday will carry over.

It was frustrating news for the Huskies, who had lost the previous meeting to Utica by two strokes on April 21. Still, they aren't getting discouraged. Especially with the regional tournament less than two weeks away at The Orchards Golf Club in Washington Township.

"We have to head out and see that (course) a little bit more," Maher said. "And get a better feel for the greens. They're a lot faster than what we're used to. But if we just keep focused on it, hopefully we'll get better and qualify as a team for states."

Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.