West Ranch boys golf’s Gunnar Murray’s experience at the first Foothill League meet of the season was a bit of an oxy-moron.
“The whole day was super calm, but had a lot of adrenaline,” Murray said. “I was pumped to get out there and play for my team and just kind of a calm excitement.”
The senior’s calm-but-excited energy helped him card a 4-under 68 on Tuesday at Sand Canyon Country club for medalist honors.
He was followed by Hart teammates Jess Scheller, who finished 1-under, and Art Thompson, who was even-par.
Murray knows he set the bar high, but he’s also embracing the standard he set for himself.
“I actually like the pressure,” he said. “…For me it shows me where my game is at and what I can actually do in a league match.
“It just shows that I can go under par and I feel that now it’s setting a goal for me and now that I shot 4-under, now I’ve got to shoot 5-under or 6-under or 7-under.”
The Wildcats collectively came in first with a team score of 366. The Indians were second at 376 and Valencia was third at 401.
Saugus (413), Golden Valley (470) and Canyon (544) rounded out the competition.
West Ranch’s consistent shooting was key in the win. No golfer carded over a 6-over on the afternoon.
“The fact that we have such good team chemistry and we’re all good friends and we showed Hart that we’re not going to give up like last year,” said Murray. “We’re not going to go down easily and we’re going to give them a good fight.”
Overcast weather with very little rain provided prime conditions for golf, with high visibility and low winds. It gave players like Murray great opportunities to hit straight, long drives.
The Cats are hoping to keep the momentum going in the coming league meets no matter what the weather brings.
“It feels good to finally just break though and shoot the rounds that I know I’m capable of,” said Murray. “So it feels good to see my teammates follow suit and just kind of build off each other’s momentum and we all played great today.”
Foothill League meet No. 2 will be on Wednesday, March 28 at noon at Valencia Country Club.
