On Tuesday, May 6, boys’ varsity golf capped off a strong season with a Central Coast Section (CCS) playoff appearance. The Panthers finished second in the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) Bay Division regular season standings with an overall record of 8-3-1, just shy of qualifying as a team for CCS playoffs.
While the full team did not qualify, senior Zachary Newman and junior Ethan Cyb advanced to CCS as individuals. The playoffs were held at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch in Monterey, a course that has hosted the tournament for eight consecutive years. Newman tied for 41st out of 83 competitors with a score of 78. Cyb, who struggled to find rhythm throughout the round, finished tied for 69th with a score of 87.
“We had some good shots,” head coach Jon Ramirez said. “Zach played well, [he] just didn’t make a few putts that he normally would, but still shot a strong 78. Ethan just couldn’t get anything going, but overall, it was a solid showing.”
According to Cyb, the round didn’t go as well as he had hoped, given his past success in the CCS playoffs.
“For me, personally, it was pretty disappointing,” Cyb said. “The [CCS] tournament historically has been an event that I’ve had a really strong showing in, and yesterday I just couldn’t get things to click. Things just never fell into place for me.”
Though they did not qualify for CCS Championships on Tuesday, May 13, Ramirez said that two golfers advancing to CCS playoffs was still a meaningful achievement.
“To have two representatives from our school participate in the CCS tournament is always a positive accomplishment,” he said.
Newman and Cyb earned their CCS playoff berths at the PAL Bay Division tournament, held from April 28-29. Among the standout performances at the tournament, Newman finished 10th, Cyb 11th, and senior Ian Lai 12th on the individual leaderboard. As a team, they recorded a total score of 405 in the team competition on Monday.
“The PALs tournament was a huge deal for me… I was able to basically beat the odds,” Cyb said. “So really, really proud of the work I was able to put in. And even though I wasn’t able to capitalize on it in CCS, I think the effort I put in in order to qualify was very good.”
Looking back on the season, Ramirez noted the challenge of living up to last year’s success, when the Panthers qualified as a full team on the second day of CCS.
“The expectations were much higher following last season,” Ramirez said. “… This season, we only had two individuals, and when you don’t have more returners, there are some ups and downs. But we just have to continue to work harder.”
Even after losing key senior athletes from last year, Cyb said the team demonstrated growth and resilience this season.
“The goal for every team is to win league, and while we weren’t able to do that, we were able to foster a lot of talent in the freshmen this year,” Cyb said. “Last year, we lost two very good seniors who were an instrumental part of our undefeated season. So this year, as a reconstruction year, was, in my opinion, a very successful one.”
One of the season’s highlights was Burlingame’s victory over Carlmont High School, who went on to win the league title at the end of the season.
“They stepped up when we played Carlmont, who ended up winning league,” Ramirez said. “Their only loss was to us. I think they stepped up when we needed to.”
Though the Panthers will graduate several seniors this year, Cyb is confident in the team’s future.
“For next year, [seniors] will leave big shoes to fill in order to keep our team at the level it’s been able to compete at in the past couple years,” Cyb said. “Next year, even though we didn’t have as strong of a season this year and we are losing some instrumental players, don’t count us out.”
Meanwhile, Ramirez is focused on maintaining a positive mindset as the team continues to grow.
“We can always accept when teams beat us, as long as we didn’t beat ourselves,” Ramirez said.
