The wind blows through the Stonebriar Golf Course as a young man, standing at 5’8, walks up to a small white tee with driver in hand. He pulls back the club and swings, obliterating the minuscule white speckled ball through the crisp October air. The ball hits the green right next to the tall yellow flag, setting up the Jesuit Ranger for a chance to birdie the whole.
On October 21, 2015, this scenario occurred on many occasions, allowing the Jesuit Blue team to take home 2nd place and the Jesuit Gold team to follow closely with a 4th place finish. This tremendous finish by both teams was one of six top three finishes by a Jesuit team in the month of October, an impeccable record that has left almost every opponent looking at the Rangers as the team to beat. Senior Camden Suhy believes that “the team is really doing well. A lot of people see golf as a very independent sport that requires no communication, but when you realize that your score is affecting your teams placement, you start to play better. I am always looking for the best score possible, not only for me but also so that my team as a whole can do better.”
Realizing that October is by far one of the most strenuous months for the team, Coach Cathy Marino said: “October was very busy for the golf team. We had the majority of our fall tournaments in October. Our practice schedule revolves around the tournaments and we practice very hard to prepare for them. We have qualifying rounds to help determine the lineup for each tournament along with practice sessions at Golden Bear Golf Center. The tournaments in October are regular season tournaments, but they are all very important in preparing the team for district, regionals, and state in the spring.After the Woodbridge tournament on October 21, the team traveled to McKinney to take part in the Mckinney Boyd Stonebridge invitational. Without missing a beat, the team dominated in another tournament. The Jesuit Blue Team earned a 1st place finish, followed directly by the Ranger Gold team who came in 2nd place. Once again, golfers Jackson Houston ’18 and Andrew Buckley ’18 finished in the top two spots on the Jesuit team. Houston, with a score of 145, tied for 1st place with Adam House of Rockwall. Sophomore Andrew Buckley followed Jackson, securing a 3rd place spot with a score of 147. Suhy ’16 thought that “Buckley represents the future team of Jesuit Golf. It’s really nice to see a kid his age be so good and already a leader of the team.”
Coach Marino, looking towards the future, said, “It is nice to think that we are the team to beat in tournaments and knowing that should give the team great confidence… we are trying to improve a little each day and not settle. If we follow this the team should be ready to have a great spring and possibly make a run at the State Championship.”
