Although the Falcon golf team was not able to advance past leagues as a team, senior Trevor Leung, freshman Kevin Sze and sophomore William Liu were able to qualify individually for the CCS tournament that took place on May 10 at Leguna Seca.
At CCS, Liu shot a 75, Sze shot a 77 and Leung shot a 90. Only Liu managed to reach the final round; Sze ended up missing the cut by only one stroke.
Said Sze: “I missed the cut by a shot because of how poorly I hit my driver. I hit one 40 yards off line into a hazard I didn't even know existed. That cost me a shot.”
According to Sze, the only factor keeping him in the competition was the fact that he had been putting so well.
Leung thought he had also underperformed at CCS.
“The greens were a lot faster during CCS than during the practice round we played the day before because they cut the grass,” Leung said. “Regardless of that, I played badly at my short game.”
Liu shot a 75 in the first round, which allowed him to progress and an 83 in the second and final round of CCS, but that score was not enough for him to make NorCal.
Each of the three players had set their own goals and expectations for the competition, using them as learning tools and assessments of their skill.
“Going into CCS, I knew that I still had many things to work on,” Liu said. “I didn't have a set score for myself to meet — I just wanted to feel like I played my best.”
For Sze, CCS was a significant accomplishment, but as only three players qualified, Sze said that he would miss the others while at CCS.
“Not having everybody there definitely sucked. Obviously you want to have them all with you and having fun. I think I felt more motivated to represent my team as a whole,” Sze said.
At the League Championships on April 25, often viewed as the qualifying competition for CCS, Liu shot 73, Sze shot 75 and Leung shot 77.
For Leung, qualifying for CCS was a dream come true.
“It was thrilling to make it to CCS in my last year because it surpassed the expectations I had of myself at the beginning of the year,” Leung said.