Jacks Suffer First Defeat: Boy’s Golf Team Loses Against Washougal

The Panthers defeated the RAL boy’s golf team at Mint Valley Golf Course on September 8^th 198-232 for the Jacks first home match this season.

Kevin Sheehy 12 and Shane Oliva 12 shared low scores of 42, Eric Chamberlain 12 a 45, Keigan Romines 10 a 50, and Matt Sheehy 10 a 53 to stay close behind Washougal.

Sheehy, Nathan Olson, Oliva, TJ Jones, and Chamberlain are the five returning seniors for this 2009 boy’s golf season.  The rest of the team consists of six sophomores and four freshmen.

 “Other than our two experienced and skilled seniors, the rest of our players are young and still learning the basics of golf like controlling their game, making smart decisions, and focusing on short game,”  Head Golf Coach Parks said.

In the past two years, the Jacks have had multiple experienced players and exciting competition at matches, but this year the majority of the team are inexperienced and still learning the game.

 “Most of our players this year have never even held a golf club before,” Parks said, “a lot of young players don’t know what they can and can’t do. They believe they can do everything even though they have never played before.”

 Assistant Golf Coach Straiter states that the Jacks are mainly focusing on building as a team this year and working on the team’s strong points, putting and chipping, because those are “the most important skills.”

The players agree with the coaches on needing to focus mainly on individual skills, instead of just practicing to win.

“I don’t believe we are going to do as well as we did last year because we have so many new and inexperienced golfers, but I will be practicing hard as an individual, hoping to make it to state,” Oliva said.

Last year, Oliva was the only Jack golfer to make it to state and plans to turn out again, but, this year he may not have to travel alone.

 “I’m looking forward to hopefully going to state this year because Shane and I are going to win it all,” Sheehy said.

Coaches Parks and Straiter believe Oliva and Sheehy both have strong chances of making it to state this year and intend on practicing with them individually to improve all aspects of their game.

The Jacks have their next match on their home course, Mint Valley, against Hockinson on Sept. 9 at 3:30 and play the Mark Morris Monarchs Sept. 22 at home as well.