Squelching shoes and mud-splotched khakis were the theme of boys’ golf’s PAL matchup against Sequoia High School at the Half Moon Bay golf course on Wednesday, March 15, after heavy storms just the day before. But the tricky conditions didn’t stop the team from scoring their lowest round of the season to notch a 201-228 win over the Ravens and improve to a 3-0 record. 

“We played really well, considering that it rained really hard the last few days,” head coach Jon Ramirez said.

The rain-soaked course certainly caused havoc for the players. The wet greens were a bit slower, causing players to leave some putts short. Players’ drives also got buried in the mud, and they routinely spent some time looking for their balls. 

To navigate the course’s conditions, both teams agreed to play with the rule of “lift, clean and place,” where they could lift up their ball, wipe it off and place it back near where it had been buried, so that it could be hit more smoothly. . 

But based on the scores, the Panthers certainly overcame the weather conditions. Sophomores Zach Newman and Ian Lai scored 41 and 42 strokes respectively, and senior Charlie Galanter shot 40 strokes. Competing last, freshman Cole Weyer shot 41 and senior Adres Valldejuli delivered the lowest score on the course, 37 — just one over par.

“Sometimes I get into a zone where I block stuff out, and I don’t get in my own head, and I overcame the conditions today,” Valldejuli said.

The key for Andres was ultimately his performance on the greens. While confident in his iron play, Valldejuli isn’t always consistent with his putting. But on Wednesday, Valldejuli didn’t three putt once, keeping his score low throughout all nine holes. On hole nine, Valldejuli showcased his confidence with the putter, barely missing a very difficult 14-foot shot. 

“[Valldejuli] is one of the best if not the best in the league, and his putting continues to get better,” Ramirez said.

Another element that certainly helped Valldejuli was his match partner, Weyer. Weyer and Valldejuli are both lefty golfers, and their chemistry is apparent to anyone watching them. On the greens, they constantly traded tips, pointing out ridges and read breaks and helping each other account for the wind.

“I am really happy to be playing with [Weyer], because not only is he also left-handed, as a freshman, I was paired up with a senior and I want to keep that tradition going,” Valldejuli said.

Despite a fantastic performance across the board, Burlingame’s golfers were quick to identify room for improvement on the course. All of them felt a few mistakes — Lai’s final two six-stroke holes and Weyer’s iron shots, for instance — cost them a sub-200 round. But if this is what a frustrating day looks like for the Panthers, their future is certainly bright — and a league championship might just be around the corner.

“These guys work hard, and we still haven’t played our best round yet,” Ramirez said. “Their best golf is still to come.”