With a current ranking of first in the league, Oxford Varsity Golf Coach Terry Kelley is hopeful the good season will continue.
‘We’ve won five dual matches and lost in a close match to a ranked team,? Kelley said.
Their loss was to Rochester High School in their first dual match earlier in the season.
‘I just didn’t have the boys ready,? he said. ‘Rochester is ranked in the state and we lost to them by three strokes.?
In their most recent dual match against Bloomfield Hills, the Wildcats set a school record by scoring a 144 par at their home course at Devil’s Ridge.
On a course where par is 35, Matthew Prince and Doug Shultz scored a perfect 35, while J.J. Lewis and Rolly Giberson hit a few strokes over with 38 and Eric Curtis hit 36 and Logan Scott scored 53.
‘I’m real proud of the way they are playing. We’re very well balanced,? Kelley said. ‘It seems so far that when one boy has an off-night, somebody else from the squad steps up and fills in and does a good job.?
Along with their dual matches, the Wildcats have also been swinging well in their tournaments including two first-place finishes at the Lapeer Tuneup and the Bay City Invitational. They also placed second in the Walled Lake Invitational and the first OAA League Tournament and they placed ninth at the Milliken Millwork Invitational.
‘It’s a good group. The co-captains (J.J. Lewis and Doug Schultz) are our leading scorers but they’ve gotten excellent support from the rest of the team and any one of those five that I put on the field at any given time could break 80,? Kelley said. ‘That’s great balance in a high school team.?
While Oxford is currently in first, Kelley said it is definitely going to be a fight between Oxford, Bloomfield Hills and Troy Athens. Bloomfield finished a few stroke ahead of Oxford in the first league tournament and, according to Kelley, Troy Athens, who finished ahead of Oxford in the Indianwood Tournament, is another tough team.
‘Troy Athens has a couple of very good players and they are very capable. If they all show up on any given night they can be very good,? he said. ‘Those are the two teams we have to beat.?
The district tournament is May 21.