Following a first-place finish in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division, boys’ golf (10-2) competed in the Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament at the Laguna Seca Golf Ranch on Tuesday, May 5. Although the Panthers failed to qualify as a team for the CCS finals on Tuesday, May 12, sophomore Leo Jun qualified individually after shooting just one over par during the team qualifiers.
The tournament included many of the top teams in the area, but one school stood head and shoulders above the others – Stevenson High School, which senior Ethan Cyb said is on “another level.”
“No one can compete with them. I believe they shot something like 10 or 12 under as a team, which is unbelievable,” Cyb said.
Cyb said the team’s competitive goal heading into CCS was to finish in the top four and qualify as a team for the CCS finals on May 12, which would have them competing against other top schools such as Valley Christian High School, The Harker School, and Saint Francis High School. However, Cyb added that for the team, it was more about the experience of playing together and traveling as a team.
“We went to the local par three course and had a team round there with some of our dads, and had dinner the night before,” Cyb said. “It was really just focusing on togetherness and doing this as a team, rather than focusing on beating people, because we knew that was going to be a tall order regardless of how we play.”
In the qualifiers on May 5, Burlingame shot 395 as a team, equaling 40 over par as a team. Sophomore Leo Jun, who was the sole player from Burlingame to play in CCS finals on May 12, received significant praise from Cyb for his work ethic and progress throughout the season.
“It’s nothing short of incredible. He was one of the guys who had never played that golf course before…he got off to a nightmare scenario start and recovered and played his own game and stayed really level headed and ended up shooting one over par,” Cyb said.
Jun’s score of one over par in the qualifiers tied the best round of his career, something he attributed to the guidance he received from Cyb the night before.
“I think the biggest part that led to my success last week was the dinner before, on Monday, there me and one of the seniors, Ethan, we sat down as I made on Google Docs what I thought about the course with his past experience and this ‘yards’ book…And we just kind of talked all the way through until I had a full understanding, and then eventually [he] gave me his large book that he got from our coach a couple years back,” Jun said.
Cyb said he struggled especially on the back nine holes of the course and was frustrated watching an opportunity to continue his season slip away. He said on the last hole, he began to soak in the fact that it was his last time playing golf for Burlingame.
“It was really the eighteenth hole where I kind of realized, like, this is it, this is the last hole I’ll ever play for the team, where I really slowed down, took everything in, and after making that last putt, it was kind of emotional,” Cyb said.
At CCS finals, Jun shot 76, five over par, which he acknowledged was not what he was aiming for, though he said his performance was somewhat hindered by external conditions.
“I felt like I had definitely left some shots and putts out there. It was honestly just a grind from the start, since it was cold in the morning and greens were slow, so I was just trying to survive and try to make up as much as possible,” Jun said.
Jun said his season on an individual level was driven by curiosity. He said he was able to learn a lot from the upperclassmen on the team while also trying to help extend the season and bring home a championship.
“I was also trying to try to extend our postseason as long as possible. So throughout the season, I was trying to grind every day,” Jun said. “Hopefully our team was able to eventually make NorCal [CIF/NCGA NorCal Regional Boys Golf Championship], which we unfortunately didn’t, but I felt like I was able to meet a lot of goals.”
Despite not having his best performance at CCS, Jun said playing in a competitive tournament with some of the best golfers in the state helped teach him the difference in skill levels between the PAL and CCS levels.
“It’s definitely taught me the difference between the PAL league and what these private schools’ students can actually do, so really make sure I get stronger but also become more consistent to the point which I can also dominate the PAL league, but I also want to be able to compete against these private high schoolers,” Jun said.
Looking ahead to next year, the team will lose two of its top players in Cyb and senior Cole Weyer. However, with Jun returning, the future remains bright for boys’ golf.
“I just want to be able to have a positive mindset,” Jun said. “Hopefully next year, we’ll be able to reach CCS again.”
