It’s hard to predict an entire golf season on the first day, but one conclusion is certain after Tuesday’s league meet at Robinson Ranch: There’s going to be plenty of competition.
Individually, the top three finishers of Foothill meet No. 1 had close scores.
Receiving the top medalist honor was Hart High’s Art Thompson, who shot even-par. In second was Wet Ranch High’s Gunnar Murray with a 1-over 71 and in third was Saugus High’s Braeden Boss with a 2-over 72.
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Hart also won as a team with 382 strokes. Next was Saugus (391) and West Ranch (395), followed by Valencia (420), Golden Valley (459) and Canyon (555).
“Going into my last hole today I knew I had to shoot even or under to pull out a medalist position,” said Thompson. “I just know that the competition is going to be great and tight and it’s going to build a fun atmosphere.”
Thompson, who is second in the Indians’ lineup, said that his finish was exactly how he wanted to kick off league play.
“My ball striking was good … my eyes were great,” he said. “The main thing is when I had opportunities on the green for birdies I made them. I stayed locked in and focused and that’s what helped me pull through.”
As a group, Hart’s scores were some of the most consistent of the day. Only two golfers carded a number above the 70s: one at 11-over and another at 16-over.
“If you can have a round where all five shoot in the 70s you’re going to do really well,” said Indians coach Steve Lindberg.
“We had a good day. We’re happy with our performance but there’s a lot more golf to be played and we’ve got to continue to perform well and continue to improve.”
The day had dreary conditions, although it had only rained for most of the front nine and the wind was limited.
“There’s been better. But there’s’ also been worse,” Thompson said. “The wind was moderate. It tends to be windy out at Robinson. It affected some players but for the most part, it wasn’t too bad.”
Although there were favorable conditions and even better results for Hart, the team knows that the league season is long and unpredictable.
“I think we could’ve done better,” said Thompson. “We have three that can easily shoot 70s and the others are busting out great scores. If we don’t get lazy after this victory, I think we can maintain this type of play very easily.”
