Lester Low shot a school record 65 and led Evanston’s boys golf team to a record performance Monday at the Evanston Invitational tournament.
The Wildkit sophomore, coming off a season in which he placed 10th at the Class 3A Illinois High School Association state tournament, rose to the occasion against some of the best competition in the state at the invite held at Bryn Mawr Country Club in Lincolnwood.
He torched the course with a 4-under-par performance on the front nine, then posted a score of 3-under to finish off his record round. The Wildkit total of 279, also a school record, beat out top challengers Wheaton Academy (284), New Trier (291) and defending state champion Hinsdale Central (297) in the eight-team field.
The Wildkits also counted a 69 from sophomore Luciano Giangrossi, a par 72 from sophomore Henry Way, and a 73 from senior Miles Gomberg. Senior Kieran Low, who was the individual state runner-up last year, was next with a 75 and Henry Schmidt carded a 76.
Evanston returns almost its entire team from the 2024 season, the best in school history. The Kits also earned a measure of payback Monday against Hinsdale, a team that edged them out for the state championship because of a scorecard tiebreaker at the IHSA finals. It was only the third trip to State for Evanston as a team in the program’s history, following team titles taken at both the regional and sectional tournaments.
Head coach Jed Curtis said his players didn’t have revenge on their minds Monday.
“We weren’t looking for revenge. We were just looking to play against the best teams we could find,” said Curtis of the decision to expand what was a quadrangular in the past to an eight-team tourney. “Lester and all the other guys really thrive on that kind of competition.
“Lester played bogey free golf today and he hit some great shots, including at the par 3 16th hole where he went over the green but still managed to save par with a 20-foot putt. He’s one of the most focused individuals I’ve ever been around and he’s set high goals for himself. He’s definitely picked up some length off the tee — he had birdies today on four of the par 5s [longer yardage holes] — and he’s very calculated when he’s out there. He doesn’t make mistakes.”
‘Country club’ shadow
Monday’s performance was part of a strong start to the season for an ETHS team that has put the school on the map after playing in the long shadow cast by other “country club” teams on the North Shore like New Trier and Loyola Academy.
Curtis’ crew opened the season at the Edwardsville Invitational, a tourney with an unusual format. The two-day tourney this year consisted of 18 holes on Friday at the University of Illinois golf course in Champaign, and then moved to the site of the IHSA finals, The Den in Bloomington, on Saturday.
Evanston placed second there with a score of 588 to 575 for Wheaton Academy. Lester Low’s 67 paced the Kits on the first day, while Kieran Low carded a 70 to pace ETHS the next day.
Last Saturday, the Wildkits played in the Central Suburban League Showcase at Deerfield Golf Club and were edged out for the team title 291 to 292 by rival New Trier. Schmidt went low for the Wildkits with a 70, followed by Lester Low at 71 and Giangrossi at 75. Kieran Low played in another event that day.
Curtis said he hasn’t seen any lingering effects from last year’s close losses at State, both for the team and Kieran Low, who lost a one-hole playoff for the state individual championship.
It was all about the journey in 2024, and it’s all about the journey now that the 2025 campaign has started.
The team journey
“I really felt like we came together as a team at the end of last year. I think playing high school or college golf is a unique experience on a team for kids who normally play golf as individuals,” Curtis noted.
“We wanted to win State last year. We shot our best score of the year [including a state tournament record round on the final day] and it was a gut punch to lose on a scorecard playoff like that.
“But we also reflected on the journey for our team, and how much fun it was to do it together. It’s really all about the journey, about playing for yourself personally, for the school and for each other. We have no regrets because we left it all out there. We’ve said to the kids, do you want to see the glass as half full or half empty? We’re embracing the positives.
“They’ve worked hard together in the weight room and played a lot of golf this summer. They’re constantly working on their games and building a bond as a team. Our focus now is creating that culture and that bond we had at the end of last year. We’re not playing with revenge on our minds, or thinking we’ve got to accomplish this or that. The rest will just take care of itself.”
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