The boys’ golf team opened the season with an overwhelming win against Santa Clara with a score of 202-286 (lowest score wins) on Feb. 24. The team then took second in a three team match against Los Gatos and Monta Vista, who placed first and third, respectively, on March 1.
“The match against both Los Gatos and Monta Vista was the biggest one of the year,” said junior and second starter Kent Paisley. “It wasn’t our best match, but we’re playing Los Gatos again later this year, so we still have a shot to beat them.”
Los Gatos and Monta Vista are Saratoga’s main rivals within the El Camino Division and the three teams are vying for the top two spots. One of these two placements will guarantee advancement to the league tournament, where, if they make it, they will then face off against the top two teams from the other local league.
“There isn’t an upper and lower league in golf, they’re balanced,” said Paisley. “Because of this, there are really only three teams in our league [Los Gatos, Monta Vista and Saratoga] that compete for the top two spots every year and everyone else basically sucks.”
The team members, while they still wish to finish in the top two, are also concerned with getting playing experience, as they do not have any seniors.
“Our goal for this year is to finish second in our league so we can get some experience playing in the league tournament,” said Paisley. “It’s next year when we can make a real run for it because we don’t have anyone graduating this year.”
The team consists of six players who compete during matches, led by junior and No. 1 starter Andrew Cho, as well as eight additional players who practice with the team but do not get to play during the games. To determine the team’s overall score at a match, they add together five lowest scores out of the six who play.
“The higher level kids shoot around even par and when it gets down to the lower ranks on the team, they’re shooting a little over bogey golf, ” said Paisley.
Their most significant upcoming matches are against Monta Vista on March 15, and Los Gatos, who are expected to finish first in the league, on March 29.