After losing three seniors last year, this year has been a ‘rebuilding year? for the boys varsity golf team, according to Coach Terry Kelley.
‘We are young in the sense (that) we have four sophomores and four juniors,? Kelley said. ‘So far, we have won four dual matches without getting beaten and we’ve been in four tournaments.?
At the Traverse City Invitational, which is the biggest tournament in the state, the boys placed 11th out of 38 teams. At the Walled Lake Invitational, the boys took third with a score of 311. They also won their OAA League tournament with a score of 311. Then at the Bobcat Invitational held in Bay City, the boys took first with a score of 318.
‘Our averages don’t mean a lot because any of our one through four (hitters) boys are perfectly capable of being our low scorer of the day,? Kelley said. ‘Currently, Matt Prince is our leading scorer at 18 holes with a 78.50 Par. Rolly Giberson brought his down to 80. Doug Schultz is 80.25. J.J. Lewis is 81.?
Kelley said they are also getting a lot of help from their five and six hitters as well.
‘That’s our balance,? he said. ‘It’s really helping us out.?
The boys are halfway through the season with only three more matches in the league, which Kelley said they must win.
‘We have a second league tournament (on May 20),? noted Kelley. ‘We need to finish well in that and we should be able to have a league championship trophy for the school.?
Beyond that, Kelley said they have a difficult district tournament ahead of them and getting to regionals will be real tough because it’s on a course they’ve never seen.
‘If we get out of regionals, it will be tough as well. It will have all the best teams from our district and other districts at Boulder Pointe,? he said.
But no matter where they finish, Kelley said the team has already ‘performed beyond my expectations.?
‘They’re a fun bunch of kids to be around and you can’t keep them off the golf course,? he said.
The boys next match will be May 8 at Devil’s Ridge Golf Club against Andover starting at 3:30 p.m.