Despite multiple postponements and weather-related cancellations, we are at roughly the midpoint of the boys’ golf season. With multiple area teams such as Rocklin High performing well and posting good scores, it’s shaping up to be a strong finish!
Rocklin High
The Thunder placed fourth at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament last season. They’re certainly bringing the thunder in 2023 with a 5-0 start, including 3-0 in the Sierra Foothill League. Rocklin High has defeated Folsom, Del Oro and Oak Ridge with their low nine-hole score of the season being 181 against Woodcreek High at Sierra Pines Golf Course in Roseville.
The top three players are junior Max Thomas and seniors Luke Price and Jacob Larson. Price has earned a full-ride golf scholarship to the University of Utah with his average of 37.8. Larson is averaging 38.3, while Thomas leadings the team with a 35.8 average per nine holes. He shot a five-under-par round of 66 in wet and windy conditions at the Stockton Country Club on March 6 to win the St. Mary’s 18-hole tournament.
“The biggest strength by far is camaraderie and supporting each other as this is the closest-knit team I’ve ever coached in any sport over my past 23 years,” Thunder coach Tim Hurrianko said. “The biggest area of improvement has been consistency and also fighting at all times, no matter how challenging the round might be going. In the past, players would give up at times when shooting poorly, but so far this year, that hasn’t happened.”
Rocklin High will play its first 18-hole Sierra Foothill League tournament on Tuesday at Timber Creek Golf Course.
“This team is so good and there really aren’t any major areas to improve in,” Hurrianko said. “The key will be performing at their best when it really matters.”
Roseville High
The Tigers are currently 11-2 in the Capital Valley Conference, which is second only to Woodcreek High which is undefeated. Their lowest nine-hole score this season was a 204 against Inderkum High at Sierra View Country Club, Roseville High’s home course. In their first league 18-hole tournament on March 27, the Tigers shot a 404 at Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland.
Their top three players this season are Grant Burback, Rylan Kerr and Luke Sonne. Burback is a senior and a four-year varsity player who is averaging 38.5 strokes for nine-hole matches and has placed first in all but one league dual. Burback had a Top-10 finish in the St. Mary’s High School Invitational at Stockton Country Club with a score of 73, against a stacked field of Division I teams and players from the Sacramento area and Bay Area. Most recently, he was the medalist with a two-under-par score of 70 in the first league 18-hole tournament at Yolo Fliers Club. Kerr is also a senior and a four-year varsity player with a nine-hole average of 42.1. Sonne is a junior and three-year varsity player with a nine-hole average of 43.4.
“Everyone on our team is capable of shooting a low score but doing it on a consistent basis has been our biggest challenge or weakness,” Tigers coach Corey Fukuman said. “Our biggest strength is our desire to get better and compete on a daily basis. The boys enjoy being around each other and are always helping each other out on and off the golf course. Over the second half of league play, we look forward to improving every match to prepare for our last dual match versus Woodcreek and in our final league 18-hole tournament to compete for a league and section championship. This group is capable of doing it but we have to all play our best in all of our remaining matches and tournaments.”
Roseville High will play its next match against Woodcreek High next Wednesday at home.
Whitney High
The Wildcats are currently 1-5 on the season with their lone win coming against Vista Del Lago when the team shot their lowest score of 204 at Empire Ranch Golf Club in Folsom. Whitney High has yet to win a match in the Sierra Foothill League. Leading the team so far has been junior Ethan Jackson, who is averaging a nine-hole score of 39, while seniors Nick Tisdale and Hudson McCoy are averaging 43 and 44, respectively.
“This year, we are a senior-heavy team but inexperienced in the amount of varsity matches they have played in,” Wildcats coach Jesus Armas said. “They are a great group of guys and we are having a good time when we are at the course. I would like to see more consistency from the team and our goal for this year is to shoot a 400 at our last 18-hole league tournament in hopes of getting an automatic bid for the playoffs when doing so.”
Whitney High is in the middle of league competition and will play its first 18-hole tournament at Timber Creek Golf Course in Roseville on Tuesday.
West Park High
The Panthers are currently 3-1 in Foothill Valley League (FVL match) action, following a 198-280 win over Lincoln High last Thursday at Lincoln Hills Golf Club. West Park High was led by Johnny Miller with an even-par round of 36 while Jacob Burnett shot a 37. Their low nine-hole score of the season was a 195 which they shot against Oakmont High on March 16.
“The biggest strength of our team this year is our depth,” Panthers coach Andrew Roberts said. “We have seen different golfers post good scores and challenge each other to play well. The biggest area of improvement over last year has been our ability to take care of the golf ball and not have wasted strokes throughout our rounds. The one thing that held this team back last year were wasted strokes from hitting balls out of play or into the hazard but this team worked hard in the off season on their skills to become more accurate strikers of the golf ball, which has led to better scores.”
West Park High faces Golden Sierra High in a non-league match on Thursday and will play the first 18-hole league tournament of the season on Tuesday at Morgan Creek Golf Club.
“Our biggest area that needs to be worked on 100 percent is our consistency,” Roberts said. “While different players have played well at different times, we have yet to see them all play their best golf on the same day.”
Article written by Gold Country Media
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