Despite not having an official senior night, boys’ golf honored six of their seniors in their final league match against Carlmont High School on Tuesday, April 21, giving four players normally out of the rotation a chance to play. This was after the team clinched a first-place finish in the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) Bay Division days earlier. Ultimately, in rainy conditions and against a tough Carlmont team, the Panthers came up empty-handed, losing 197-225.
“It was tough. That team is very, very good,” senior and No. 1 player Ethan Cyb said. “They have some great players at the top, and especially that golf course. They are very well suited. They know that golf course well.”
According to Cyb, this match was originally supposed to determine who would win the league title. However, after Carlmont dropped two of its final games, Burlingame clinched a first-place finish.
“We used this match as a sort of pseudo senior night in which we replaced four of our top six players with seniors on the team, in order to give those seniors who may not have gotten a chance to play in a match,” Cyb said.
Senior Reece Ho played in the match, a testament to his growth and determination over his four years.
“He’s tried out for the team all four years. He got denied three years in a row. Kept coming back, kept working on his game, dedicated to getting better,” Cyb said. “He finally made the team this year, and even though he didn’t play during the regular season matches, we are very proud and very happy to finally give him that chance to play in this final match.”
Ho said his game was hindered because of the rainy conditions, which put less spin on the ball. However, Ho said he appreciated the help from seniors Jack Ryan and Rasmi Zeidan.
“Especially with their experience in the team, I learned a lot in regards to kind of course management, which is one aspect of the game I kind of overlooked. So they definitely assisted in that when I was playing with them,” Ho said.
Ho said his playful approach on the golf course and friends on the team to play with outside of team practices have helped him maintain a positive mindset.
“It definitely helps when I have friends who are into the game as well, like one of my friends, Matthew, plays a lot, so I like to go out on the course with him, with the intent of just having fun and not being too competitive,” Ho said. “It’s a better approach to improving my game.”
Although Cyb said he didn’t play his best golf, it was an opportunity for him to get more experience before the PAL Championships and eventually the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs. Burlingame got an automatic berth to the CCS playoffs because of their first-place finish in the league.
“Even though my personal result wasn’t really what I wanted, I’m definitely grateful and happy that I was able to get some reps and some more experience putting myself out there on that golf course,” Cyb said.
At the beginning of the season, Cyb set two main goals for himself — to win PALs and the individual league championship, and to qualify for NorCals. —
“I wanted to be the best golfer of public schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, plain and simple,” Cyb said. “And that could still happen. There’s going to be some incredibly difficult competition. But regardless of how the season has gone for me, I truly believe that on my best day, I’m as good or better than any of the players.”
The Panthers will compete in the PAL Tournament on Monday, April 27, and Tuesday, April 28, which Cyb characterized as a “victory lap” since the results don’t matter outside of the opportunities for individual accolades.
“Moving on through the postseason as a team is incredibly difficult, and in order to make it through these players, need to realize that in a sport where it really is an individual sport, the only person you can control is yourself, everyone plays a part, and it’s never just about you, it’s about the team,” Cyb said.
