Braving tough weather conditions, varsity boys’ golf fell to Carlmont High School 228-242 on Monday, March 17, but bounced back with a 217-227 victory over Menlo-Atherton High School on Thursday, March 20.
“I would say that [Monday’s match] wasn’t a true reflection of our abilities…[in these kinds of conditions] you have to kind of mentally prepare and deal with what is in front of you and every shot that we had just wasn’t within in our control. Unfortunately, it was just not our day and game,” head coach Jon Ramirez said.
Coming off a historic season with an appearance in the Central Coast Section (CCS) Finals for the first time in two decades, the Panthers are struggling to remain as consistent as last year’s team.
“I think we’re still trying to find a groove and some consistency. Menlo Atherton is a very good team that we tied in the first match of the year so [Thursday was] today is another opportunity for us to go out and get better,” Ramirez said.
On Monday, the team dropped a hard-fought match to Carlmont in windy, wet, and rainy conditions at Crystal Springs Golf Course. The weather affected many players’ performances on the course. Ramirez believes that in less-than-ideal playing conditions, small mistakes add up quickly. Misjudging the wind or choosing the wrong club made it even harder to keep scores low.
“In brutal conditions, [the storm] kind of impact[s] the game a lot but we have to be able to manage the game,” Ramirez said. “There were some abnormal conditions that affected the course due to the rain.”
According to Ramirez, there were more lessons learned from Monday’s match than positive trends. The team had a hard time not only keeping their shots accurate but also staying focused during the four-hour match.
“It was really hard to see what positives could be taken out of [Monday’s match]. It’s more of an opportunity for us to learn and understand areas of growth to where we need to address some of our downfalls whether it’s rainy conditions or controlling the golf ball,” Ramirez said.
On Thursday’s match against the Bears, junior Cole Weyer continued his strong season, leading the team with a four-over 40. The Panthers showed resilience later in the week with a bounce-back victory over Menlo-Atherton, improving their record to 3-1-1 in Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) Bay Division play.
“I think our resilience [played a big part of our win],” Weyer said. “It was tough out there, but as a team, we fought together, and I think that’s super crucial in getting a win in a golf match, because it’s not just your individual score, but it’s a team effort in getting a win in a match.”
Looking ahead, the boys’ golf team is eager to extend its winning streak and regain momentum as they prepare for the upcoming competition at the PAL and CCS postseason tournaments.
“I think at any given basis as a team, we can say that everyone stood out individually. [But] I think we’re good enough where we’re not reliant on one good player,” Weyer said. And I think any player on our starting six lineup could go out and shoot a good [score], and I think that’s super important for having a great season because that’s what helped us excel last season.”
