Golf prepares for leagues after strong season

Golfers finished their regular season strong with an emphatic 202-216 win against Wilcox on April 21 at Santa Clara Golf and Tennis Club (par 36), concluding a 9-3 run and finishing second in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League behind Los Gatos. No. 1 player senior Lucas Peng medaled in the match with a 37, the best score of both teams in the match.

“We lost our first match of the season to Wilcox, so ending our regular season with a win over Wilcox helped give us confidence leading into Leagues,” said the No. 5 player, junior Nathan Shang.

After winning seven straight matches, the boys lost to Los Gatos 201-205 on April 11 at Saratoga Country Club (par 34) and 188-200 on April 19 at La Rinconada Golf Club (par 34).

According to Lucas, the team played well considering that two of the Los Gatos players shot 2-under par in the match at La Rinconada. The Falcons also returned to their winning ways on April 18 against Lynbrook 210-234 at Saratoga Country Club, where No. 2 player senior Miles Peng shot a 38.

“We won the match against Lynbrook by a larger margin than last time,” No. 3 player freshman William Liu said. “We all worked hard over the course of the season to improve our games and without this effort we would not have been able to have done as well.”

The team now is shifting its focus to the league tournament on May 3 and CCS later in the month, as they continue to practice rounds at Santa Teresa Golf Club (par 35), where the league meet will take place.

“By practicing on Santa Teresa, we can play solid rounds with greater confidence," Liu said. “Leagues [and CCS create] a competitive environment in which we need to excel in, given a week to practice, we plan to work on the weakest parts of our game and continue to strengthen our strongest aspects in order to pull out ahead at leagues."