Head Golf Coach Brian Becker '77 told the team Tuesday evening that one of the things they couldn’t control was the weather.
Although the heavy rain stayed away for the District Tournament on Wednesday, on and off rain fell at Pine Hills Golf Club in Hinckley throughout the day, keeping the course in sloppy conditions.
Higher scores throughout the tournament were expected and captain Michael McCaffrey and the team felt they were mentally prepared to battle through the rain. The Wildcats resolved to not get frustrated by the wet conditions and stay patient throughout the day.
Sophomore Ross Williamson was first to go off for the Cats and unfortunately found a hazard off his tee shot. Williamson started off his day with a double bogey and could not really get anything going at any point during the day due to the rain. Ross shot a nine-over (44) opening side but never gave up and was able to minimize damage, finishing with an 84.
Junior Jake Moraca started his day off with a birdie on No. 10, but then struggled his next couple holes. Moraca spent the day burning the edge of the cup with his putter and was not able to get many strokes back. Jake finished the day with a solid 82.
It was a grind-for-par type of day for sophomore Connor Warns, too. It came down to the final couple holes for both Warns and McCaffrey. A double bogey on Warns’s 17th hole finished him with an 81 and a double bogey on McCaffrey’s 16th hole finished him with an 82.
Sophomore Andrew Kaye led the way for the Cats with an outstanding round of one under par (70). Kaye scored an impressive 2 under through 9 holes and didn’t make another bogey until his 17th hole. One under par was good enough for first place medalist at Districts.
Kaye will be off to Columbus to play in the State Tournament at Ohio State University Scarlet Course as an Individual. Good luck, Andrew!
The team’s final score was 315, four shots short of the fourth qualifying spot to the OHSAA State Tournament. Even with this disappointing finish, it was an overall very successful season for a very young team with just two seniors.
With much talent in the sophomore, junior and upcoming freshmen classes, expect to see the team competing for a state qualifying spot the next couple years.