A golf match lost, a season slipping away

The Blair golf team, led by juniors Ben Payes and Zachary Mellman, suffered their greatest loss yet at Laytonsville Golf Course on Wednesday, September 18. Blair finished behind all three of its competitors, Paint Branch, Blake and Sherwood high schools, bringing its record to a disappointing 3-6.

Blair's average score per hole was more than 25 strokes, compared with first place finisher Sherwood's 20.67 strokes. In other words, on average, Sherwood's team of golfers swung five fewer times than Blair's golfers on each hole. Although Blair's performance hasn't worsened through the course of the season, the team members have not been able to elevate their games to the next level, as the members of other school teams have.

Jim Young is in his first season of coaching Blair's golf team and, therefore, is still becoming accustomed to the position. "I am new to the team," admitted Young, "so we lack some of the advantages of the other teams in the county."

Sophomore Neal Vaselik, who is usually a crucial member of the team and the second Blazer to tee off, couldn't attend the match for academic reasons. Neal's absence may have significantly impacted Blair's score.

"The fact that [Neal] didn't play," Young commented, "probably cost us fifteen strokes."

Another reason that Blair played poorly was the lack of time available. Since play can only continue as long as the sun is up, the match officially ended at seven o'clock. This meant that none of the Blair golfers were able to finish their rounds.

Payes believes that since there is not enough time for the golfers to finish, the matches should begin sooner in the afternoon. "The matches should begin much earlier because we haven't been able to finish any of the matches," Payes asserts. "The darkness just keeps halting our play. We've never been able to finish."

Blair now has a record of 3-6, but the team believes this isn't as bad as it may seem. Undefeated Sherwood High School, who has a 9-0 record, is accountable for three of Blair's losses.
In the golf league, Sherwood is an untouchable force. "[Sherwood is] clearly the best team in the division," says junior Jake Riley, whose personal score of 61 strokes after nine holes could not compare with the 39-stroke score posted by the Sherwood player he competed against. "They are just way too good."

Although this loss takes the team deep into a losing season, the Blair golfers have not become discouraged. On Friday, September 20, Blair will play a make-up game against Blake, Wheaton and Kennedy. Young is very optimistic about this upcoming match. "We have the ability to beat all of these teams! As I see the line-up, I'm thinking second or first place."