Photo gallery: Payton-Jones boys golf reclaims city championship

By Dominic Scianna

David Gilmer, boys golf coach for Payton/Jones College Prep Co-Op, has won four of the last five Chicago Public League (CPL) City Championships at Indian Boundary Golf Course, including on September 28. And since 2015, his golfers have won six overall titles (2015 and 2018) to dominate the sport among CPL teams in Chicago.

Lane Tech College Prep ended the Payton/Jones three-peat run with a championship victory in the city finals in 2014.

“We actually started a little slow (as a team) and there was stress and tension early in the round (of the CPL Championships),” said Gilmer. “But we found our groove in the middle of the round. Plus, the last three holes we played great, and all of our seniors had birdies on the 18th hole, and that’s exactly the way you want to finish to win.”

Led by senior Henry O’Toole’s 74 to win the CPL individual title, Gilmer’s squad also had strong performances by Matthew Fiore (77), Jack Condne (79), Mason Fernandez (80), and Hayden Cho (82) for a winning overall total of 310 to take down runner-up Lane Tech for the CPL crown.

Lane was led by its top golfer Fred Dino (79), followed by Whitey Young in third place at 328, as Everett Carli carded a 79 to lead the Dolphins, and Lincoln Park at 341 finished fourth behind the stellar play of Jack Cote, who also posted a 79.

O’Toole went on to advance to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) 3A state championships played at The Den at Fox Creek Golf Course in Bloomington, the weekend of October 10-11. The team also finished as third-place medalists in the IHSA regional finals and moved on to sectional play. Individually, O’Toole qualified for the second day of competition, making the cut with a 79. He finished 29th overall in a loaded field of Illinois’ top golfers, which placed his name in elite company in the Payton/Jones golf history books.

“Henry is our highest ever state finisher ever, and add to that he’s a CPL champion, and won two events and lost in a playoff too this year to cap a great season. He has committed to getting better each year and it’s really paid off for him,” noted Gilmer.

O’Toole has had interest at the next level to pursue golf collegiately, but he is undecided at this time as he weighs his options.

The Payton/Jones golf team during Gilmer’s tenure as coach since 2015 has grown to now include between 12-15 golfers each year on the varsity roster. When he began, he remembers the squad barely getting five athletes to complete the team, the minimum requirement for a golf team’s representation in order to participate in match play.

“We are going to miss the resilience and team leadership of our senior’s Henry, Jack, and Mason – no doubt, they will be difficult to replace,” acknowledged Gilmer, talking about moving forward next year. “But it’s because we have seniors like that who take underclassmen under their wing and help coach them up. That’s the main reason why we’ve been able to sustain a level of consistency in our program. I’ve always been most proud of that which has led to our success .”

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The Top Ten Individual Golfers are highlighted below from the CPL City Championship at Indian Boundary Golf Course held on September 28.

1. O’Toole, Payton/Jones – 74

2. Fiore, Payton/Jones – 77

3. Carli, Whitney Young – 79 (tie)

3. Cote, Lincoln Park – 79 (tie)

3. Dino, Lane Tech – 79 (tie)

3. Coden, Payton/Jones – 79 (tie)

7. Mason Fernandez, Payton/Jones – 80

8. Alexander Candia, Lane Tech – 81

9. Cho, Lane Tech, – 82 (tie)

9. Simon Katz, Whitney Young – 82 (tie)