It was evident early on that this was a special boys’ golf team. From the get-go, the players demonstrated their ability to play exceptionally on difficult courses, and in April, they won the Peninsula Athletic League. At the Central Coast Section (CCS) regional tournament on Tuesday, May 7, when it was time to rise to the occasion and compete with the best of the best, boys’ golf proved their might. The Panthers shot a team score of 394, putting them in a tie for third place out of 11 teams. The score was good enough to qualify the squad for CCS Finals, the first Burlingame team to do so in 20 years.
Unlike league matches, in which players only play nine holes, the CCS tournament requires players to play all eighteen holes. However, this did not stop the team from going low. During the first round sophomore Cole Weyer led the way with a four-over 75, junior Zach Newman shot 78 and senior Nate Teitelbaum and junior Ian Lai shot 80. Senior Clayton Lau, who played in the CCS tournament for the first and last time this season, shot a 92 in the first round. Lau said his teammates’ support was especially crucial as he was unfamiliar with the course layout.
“They basically gave me the rundown on certain holes and how I should approach certain holes, like what club to hit,” Lau said.
Lau said this collaboration was significant because the course was long and hilly. As with last year, one hole in particular was challenging: the par 5 15th. Boasting two separate water hazards that divide the hole into three sections, this hole is unlike anything the Panthers usually play.
“Our coach was telling us, ‘bogeys are good on that hole’,” Lau said.
Despite the difficulties, however, the Panthers were successful in advancing to the second and final round of the tournament. Still, this meant they had to face significant competition, with teams like Crystal Springs Uplands School, Salinas High School and especially Stevenson School, ready to assert dominance.
“In the finals, we were competing against the best schools in the Bay Area, essentially,” assistant coach Taylor White said. “And I thought our players competed really well.”
At CCS Finals on May 14, the Panthers could not replicate their success, shooting 401 as a team. Newman and sophomore Ethan Cyb played well, shooting 75 and 76, respectively. Still, their performance was not enough to overcome their tough competition, and the Panthers finished eighth overall in the team competition. Lau said multiple players from Stevenson shot under par in both rounds, and he thinks this mindset is perhaps what contributed to the Panthers’ inability to win.
“I think it was our mentality,” Lau said. “We knew we were going against the best of the best and I think that, at least for me, that kind of scared me.”
In the end, even though the Panthers were unable to clinch a berth in the NorCal tournament, they played their best golf and made history with an outstanding season. While seniors Teitelabuam and Lau are leaving, the team’s future looks brighter than ever before. In fact, the team’s focus is already on next season — and what kind of history they can make on the golf course.
“Can we be a team that again competes with CCS?” White said. “That’s going to depend on the amount of effort that they put in.”
