Cass City's Langenburg Rolling Into Final Focused on Her Game, Not Her Finish
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
October 15, 2026
Lindsey Langenburg knew she was in the middle of a great round during the Lower Peninsula Division 4 Girls Golf Regional at Twin Brooks Golf Club in Chesaning.
But in order to keep it going, she tried as hard as she could to block out how great she was playing.
“It gets a little nerve-racking,” the Cass City senior said. “I remember the whole round, I wouldn’t check the scoreboard. The girls I was playing with were like, ‘Lindsey, you’re in first.’ I was like, ‘Don’t tell me that.’ Going into it, my mom and dad and coach were like, you know what you’re doing, just go out there and give it your best.”
Langenburg shot an 81 on Oct. 6, winning the Regional and leading Cass City to a second-place finish as a team, qualifying for the Division 4 Final which takes place Friday and Saturday at The Meadows in Allendale.
It was the best round of Langenburg’s life and tied for the third-best regional round in all of Division 4.
“I was feeling pretty good,” Langenburg said. “I was just trying to focus on not overthinking and taking it one stroke at a time. I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. I just wanted to play each hole by itself. My short game (was working). My chips were right up close to the pin, so I had some pretty good one-putts. My putting was definitely there, too.”
Langenburg’s Regional breakout was a crowning achievement during an already strong senior season. She finished first, or tied for first, in six of the eight Big Thumb Conference Jamborees this fall, and tied for first in the Big Thumb Conference Tournament.
“Last year, I was shooting in the high 40s, low 50s,” Langenburg said. “This year, I dropped down to the low 40s. I had a lot of practice all summer. I was out every day, hitting the range, hitting the course. I was just a lot more focused this year with it.”
Cass City coach Eric Tamlyn said Langenburg took her game to a new level this season, something he knew was right there all along.
“Lindsey always had the ability to bounce back and not let an early bogey or double get in her head,” Tamlyn said. “I think Lindsey kind of put together the round at Regionals we all knew she could. She had been shooting some mid and low 40s. From a fundamental standpoint, she’s just very solid.”
One major change Langenburg made this season was with the club she’s using near the green, switching from a pitching wedge to a sand wedge for her chip shots.
“Last year, I couldn’t get on the green to save my life,” she said. “I had a lot of three-putts and four-putts. I think it was that I hadn’t worked on it so much, because last year I was more focused on working on my irons. (Short game) is a lot of feel, and I think I just got more of a feel for it this year. The sand wedge around the green definitely changed a lot, because it has a higher loft to get it up there. Confidence, especially with pitching, is big. So many times you can get up to the ball and be like, ‘I hope I don’t hit the ground and duff this shot.’ Especially during Regionals, I would tell myself, ‘You know how to chip. Just get up there and trust yourself.’”
Langenburg plans to take her Regional mindset into the Final, and she’s already blocking out the fact her 81 makes her a serious all-state contender, or better, in her third Finals trip.
“Honestly, I’m just focusing on being relaxed,” Langenburg said. “I don’t want to get out there and worry about every shot or try to kill the ball. I’m really focused on tempo and keeping a rhythm.”
Having her teammates with her for the second-straight year will also help Langenburg relax, as classmates Lexi Tamlyn and Lily Jaworski, as well as junior Jaidyn Vanvliet and sophomore Nevaeh Stevens were all part of the Red Hawks’ runner-up finish at the Regional.
“Going alone (as a sophomore), it was my first year playing, so it was a little scary,” Langenburg said. “It was nice knowing my teammates were out there playing the same course – and also, being able to talk to them between days about the course.”
It’s a repayment, of sorts, as Langenburg’s presence was massive this season, not only for scores, but in helping get the younger players ready for this part of the season.
“This year was a little bit different, because Lindsey’s level raised so much, and she was either winning league matches or coming in second,” Eric Tamlyn said. “Lexi had herself a really good year, as well, so we were able to have some of our sophomores, juniors and one of our seniors, usually, step up. That all kind of materialized into a team that was competitive in the league, but we usually ran up against a Millington team that was really talented. We gave them a good run at Regionals; we only lost by six strokes.”
Tamlyn’s outlook on the Final is much like Langenburg’s, as he’s hoping she and her teammates can relax and play their game, and from there the scores will take care of themselves.
“I think that, culturally speaking, making the Finals is usually the goal,” he said. “Winning the Regionals and making the Finals is usually the goal. A lot of what we’re going to stress this week is trying to make the most of this moment and enjoy it. The girls get to go have fun on a world-class golf course. Let’s try to compete, try to have fun and soak up the moment.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Cass City’s Lindsey Langenburg tees off during a match this season. (Middle) Langenburg lines up a putt. (Below) The Red Hawks have advanced to this season’s Lower Peninsula Division 4 Final as a team after finishing runner-up at their Regional. (Photos by Danielle Laming/Cass City Schools.)
Dube, Painesdale-Jeffers Rule in UPD2
May 30, 2018
By Dennis Grall
Special for Second Half
NORWAY – Payton Dube has had an extremely busy spring sports season at Hancock High School.
On Wednesday, the sophomore capped off one of her two sports by winning medalist honors at the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Division 2 Girls Golf Final.
Dube posted an 84 (44-40) to coast to the title by 19 shots at Oak Crest Golf Course.
"It was all about making smart plays," Dube said as light rain began to fall shortly after she finished. "I was able to get on (the greens) in regulation, and that helps the scores well. If you get in the fairway, that always helps."
She had two birdies, one on each side, while starting on No. 11.
"When I hit a good drive, it gives me confidence the next (shot) will be good," she said.
Dube, who was in contention throughout the handful of spring meets that were salvaged after a lengthy winter's grip forced her indoors for numerous practice sessions, said, "I didn't know what to expect (in the Finals)" because she was competing against different schools.
The only member of the girls golf team at Hancock, Dube also spends the spring playing softball for the Bulldogs. Golf is her No. 1 choice and would get the nod if there were ever a conflict between the two sports.
"We have a small (Class C) school, and spring has so many other sports. You definitely have to prioritize," she said of her busy schedule that also includes a heavy academic load. She was late for only one softball game this season.
Topping the team scoreboard, the Painesdale-Jeffers girls won their third U.P. crown, adding to titles taken in 2006 and 2007.
Coach Tyler Bailey's team includes his younger sister Alexis and Gracie Asaila, who shared second place individuals with Norway's Danae Anderson at 103.
"It is awesome. It feels great to actually be her coach," Tyler Bailey said.
The Jets didn't realize they had beaten the only two other full teams until it was announced, Bailey noting he kept that news quiet.
When that news struck them, he said, "Their faces all lit up.”
The 481 was his team’s best score of this abbreviated spring. "I knew they had the potential to pull it out,” Bailey added. “Our expectations were they wanted to win.”
Dube’s father is a teacher at Hancock High School and sets up a golf simulator in his classroom for his daughter's practice when snow typically covers the Copper Country.
"You don't have to be outside to practice," she said with a grin.
Hancock coach Paul Sintkowski, who is also the golf pro at Portage Lake Golf Course in Houghton, said Dube is active on the junior golf circuit in Wisconsin during the summer. "She has played her whole life. She has 7-8 years in the junior golf program (at Portage Lake that has about 150 participants)," he said.
"The kids have put in their time up here. A lot of them play hockey, so their coordination stays sharp."
Sintkowski hopes the interest in the girls junior program begins to carry into the high school ranks. He said about 20 girls played golf at five Copper Country schools this spring. But Houghton, a perennial power, had 11 of the 20. He said starting a co-op program among other schools might provide a way to get more female participation.
"A lot of people don't take it too seriously," Dube said of trying to get other girls to play golf. "A lot of people don't find it challenging if they don't play (golf).
"You still have to practice that skill. In golf, you are playing the course, not the other player."
Sintkowski said Dube also will play in the Upper Peninsula Ladies Golf Association tournament at Norway in July.
"She hits the ball well, she is athletic but she needs a bit of focus. She had a good score today, but it could have been four-five strokes better," he said. "She is learning, but she has to get a little more polish. She has all the tools to play golf after high school."
PHOTOS: Sophomore Payton Dube of Hancock uses her rangefinder to get the yardage to the pin on the 13th hole at Norway’s Oak Crest Golf Course on Wednesday at the Upper Peninsula Division 2 Girls Golf Finals. With her is coach Paul Sintkowski. The system worked perfectly as her approach shot struck the flag. (Middle) Donae Anderson of Norway blasts out of a bunker by the 15th green. She tied for second, shooting 103. (Photos by Dennis Grall.)