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By Lauren Quirarte
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May. 30, 2008 |
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“Cocky and confident,” senior captain Edward Chen said of the loss. “I felt the guys had it in them to do better.”
The boys’ varsity golf team was undefeated before suffering a
surprising loss to Wallenberg at the All-City match on May 12. The
score was 475-467.
Sophomore Sam Berry, one of the team’s top players, only managed a
95 after being plagued by bogeys in the first few holes. Most of the
other players had similar scores ranging from the low 90s to100s. A low
score is better to shoot for than a high score.
“This was the worst match of the season,” coach Colonel Bullard
said. “The weather was tough, but everybody shot under the same
conditions.”
After a disappointing loss to Washington in the semifinals last
year, the boys were undefeated in this year’s regular season and more
confident, entering the championships. “This year was supposed to be
our rebuilding year,” Chen said.
However, pressure seemed to get the best of them. “I thought we had
an easy win in the beginning,” first-year golfer sophomore Andrew Huang
said. “After the fifth hole, I started to feel pressure because I was
down a few strokes.”
Only six golfers are allowed to play in the championships. Chen was
in the first spot, Berry in the second and sophomore Max Mackenzie in
the third. Head coach Mitchell Wagner chose Huang for the fourth spot,
junior Aaron Chin for the fifth, and Freshman Edwin Mak for the sixth.
“I took the average of the rounds they played during the regular
season,” Wagner said. “I thought they would score better than the other
golfers.”
Although Chin was in the fifth spot, he scored the second lowest score
for Lowell. According to Wagner, that was the score he expected Chin to
shoot. “My season was disappointing,” Chin said. “I could have done
better, but I’m not too upset.” Mak, on the other hand, felt extra
pressure playing in the sixth spot. “For the first couple of holes I
messed up,” Mak said. “Then I cooled off, but it wasn’t enough to come
back and I ended up shooting the highest score.”
In the championship match, the back nine holes are played unlike in
the regular season, where only the first nine are played. “We didn’t
play the back nine very often,” Huang said. “It was challenging to have
the mentality to play because we were losing.”
Second-year golfer junior Ronald Radoc expects the team to improve
next year. “I’m planning to have a private instructor,” Radoc said.
“Also, I want to have more team chemistry and take them to the gym over
the summer.” Sophomore Patrick Berg agreed with Radoc. “We need to
practice and play more over the summer,” Berg said.
Bullard also believes they can improve. “The bottom line is we knew
it was our rebuilding season and we expect great things next year
although Edward Chen is graduating,” Bullard said.
Most Valuable Player
The Lowell’s choice for MVP this year is Chen. His scores were very
consistent throughout this season and he was one of the most dominant
golfers in the entire league. He was the only one to place at All-City,
earning the bronze with his individual score of 85. Though he wasn’t
the most vocal on the team, he had an aura that inspired. “When he
plays, he’s got another element to him,” Chin said.
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