The Spartan boys golf team has slogged out victories in rain, wind and cold. Monday morning, with looming gray skies and temperatures in the mid-50s, it was looking like par for the course.
But the clouds parted to sunshine, and as the first trio of golfers teed off at Wing Point, the wind died down a bit and players doffed their jackets as they walked down the first fairway.
“I thought it was going to be cloudy and cold,” said sophomore Paul DeBarros. “It turned out pretty nice.”
Nice for the Spartans — who finished first overall with 96 points — but not so nice for Ingraham and West Seattle. One opposing player grumbled “I hate this course…no offense,” when his tee shot found a stand of trees on the opposite side of an adjacent fairway.
DeBarros struggled with bogeys on three holes, but dug in and birdied three of the next six to make up his lost ground. After nine, DeBarros penciled in an even par, good for top individual honors and 27 Stableford points.
Austin Hurt scored 24 for second place, Jamie Neill finished at 22 for third and Hans Olson shot a 39 for 22 points.
“Could have been better, could have been worse,” head coach Doug Cook mused. “We figured we were going to win this match, so we tried to work out a couple of other things”
“Working out a couple things” meant getting as many different players as possible some competitive course time before the Metro championships Oct. 21. Senior Bobby Campbell and Rick Ulloa gave up their tournament berths so other players could vie for the last varsity position.
“Having an undefeated record and the price of a cup of coffee gets you a cup of coffee,” said Cook, who is more concerned about qualifying as many players as he can for the upcoming Metro tournament, than about the team’s overall record.
The Spartans match up against Lakeside, Blanchet and Ingraham today at West Seattle Municipal, which Cook thinks will be a good test for his young team.
“They’ll have all their best players out.”
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***Girls top out with 130 point win
Recording a season-high total of 130 points, the Bainbridge girls golf team beat out Holy Names by a single Stableford point Friday afternoon at Jefferson.
Holy Names Nora Hendrickson earned medalist honors with 39 points, but Bainbridge’s Katie Saucier was right in the hunt with 35. Rachel Frease and Jacquie Menalia, who shot personal best 34s, followed Frease’s lead to help the Spartan effort. Maggie Pettit shot 27 and Irene Herman had 21 to round out the point totals.
Twenty-four hours prior, the Spartans traveled to Jackson Park and were handed their first loss of the season against Seattle Prep and Holy Names.
Wind, rain and chilly temperatures, combined with the narrow fairways of a recently renovated front nine, were enough to keep the Spartans four points behind Prep.
Seattle Prep accumulated 118 points to Bainbridge’s 114, and Holy Names rounded out the trio of teams with 103.
Saucier and Prep’s Jayme Mori tied for first place with 33 Stableford points. Bainbridge’s Menalia finished with 28; Frease scored a 27; Marley Horne was one point behind with 26 and Herman added 17 for the day.
The Spartan girls played Tuesday at Wing Point against Rainier Beach, West Seattle and Ingraham in their final home match of the season. They travel to West Seattle Municipal on Thursday to take on Lakeside, Blanchet and Ingraham.
