Boys’ golf match comes down to last stroke

Aidan Rogers ’22, Staff Writer|May 28, 2021

Photo contributed by Luca Robins ’22

The Longshore Golf Course is a public golf course in Westport where town residents can pay to hit at the driving range or play a round of golf. The Staples golf team practices at the course four days a week, playing nine holes.

Staples boys’ golf team tied number one ranked Greenwich with a score of 149, playing their home course at Longshore Golf Course on Tuesday, May 25.

The match came down to a potential winning putt on the ninth hole that was missed closely by a Greenwich golfer, leaving the scores even.

The top five scores from the Wreckers were from captain Tucker Lawrence ’21 (scored 36), Luca Robins ’22 (36), Harrison Browne ’24 (37), Graham Day ’21 (40) and Mitch Rose ’21 (40).

“I felt like we could have won,” Robins said, “because we left a lot of shots out there that we usually execute. We came out with a tie, but could have gotten the win with better execution.”

The match was played on the Longshore Golf Course in Westport, Connecticut where the Staples team regularly practices.

“Since it was a home match at Longshore, it [required] more mental preparation rather than course preparation because we know our course so well,” Rose said.

Separated by one win in the standing, with Staples being the second team in the FCIAC rankings and Greenwich being the first, Tuesday’s match had large implications. The golfers focused on managing their nerves given the importance of the match.

“When we have a big match, it’s good to be excited and enjoy it,” Browne said. “But if you get too excited or hype, you get nervous. We just wanted to stay calm, and play a good round of golf.”

A tie was not the most favorable outcome. However, against a top ranked opponent, it was enough to put the Wreckers in competition for the number one rank at the end of the season.

“We came in knowing they’d be a strong team,” Lawrence said, “and I think the boys did a great job hanging right with them. It’s a little unfortunate that we couldn’t get one stroke on them, but [I am] still very happy to come out with the tie.”