Blair golf earns third place in Northwest tournament

On Tuesday, Sept. 29 the Blazers earned third place in their final golf tournament at Northwest Golf Course against Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Sherwood, and Walter Johnson. The Blazers’ four starters combined for a score of 168 strokes across nine holes.

In the tournament, each athlete aimed to accrue 40 strokes or less by getting the ball into the putting green in a specified number of hits, otherwise known as par. For every additional hit after par, players gained another stroke, raising their team’s total score above the desired threshold. The two players with the highest number of strokes were eliminated from the final scoring, leading to an average of 42 strokes for each Blazer.

Matthew Chan, a sophomore on the team, explained that, while his technical performance wasn’t perfect, he demonstrated improvement from earlier in the season. He explained that recent rain has impacted his ability to practice hitting, contributing to why his balls kept veering out of the fairway.

“I didn’t play that well today, [but] I feel like it was a good problem. I was hitting a lot farther than I used to,” Chan said.

While acknowledging the concern of maintaining ball control, Kirby Rowe, the team’s head coach, was pleased with the team’s progression since the start of the season.

“I’m impressed with this team this year because they get better and better at each golf match. I do see improvement with it,” Rowe said.

Chan made par at the first hole, but gained three strokes at the second and continued to accrue more thereafter. In his own self-reflection after the tournament, he described a particularly challenging hole, which was about 390 yards long with a par four.

“It looked really far, so I tried to go too hard on the drive, [and] I made a hook and it ended up [as] a bogey,” Chan said.

When asked about team strengths and future growth points, Rowe reiterated that the team should focus on ball control, but highlighted the strong bonds that the teammates maintain, despite being separated across the golf course during competitions.

“We have a close-knit team and they communicate and collaborate…and then they just bring that unity to the golf course…I tell them to just keep practicing and improving their cutting, their short game, and keeping the ball in the fairway,” Rowe said.

As of now, the Blazers don’t have another tournament on the athletic calendar for this season.