The golf team will compete in the regional tournament at Tangle Ridge Golf Course in Grand Prairie. The boys will compete April 15-16 after winning the district competition by 19 strokes. Junior Stalee Fields finished in the top five individually for the girls team and will compete at regionals April 17-18.
“This has been a good [spring] season [for the boys team,]” assistant coach Kurt Grawunder said. “The fall season [was about] getting our team together and learning about one another. Then, when we [got] into spring, we [started] focusing on the district. We never really know who’s going to excel in a tournament, and that makes our team really good because each one of them can be dependent on a greater good effort each tournament. That’s the key to our team, how well all five of them are able to play together.”
This past season, the boys team had multiple instances of having to substitute players before matches, and team member senior Hubert Kim said they have worked to become closer as a team to fulfill their goal of going to state. With a top-three finish at regionals, the boys team would advance to state, something they have not done since the 2018-19 season.
“Spring season got off to a rocky start, but we were able to bounce back at district championships,” Kim said. “I’m happy with that, and I’m really proud of our guys for stepping it up even after a few tough rounds. We all know each other [really well], so we use that information to get an advantage on the course.”
To qualify for regionals, teams must place first or second in the district. Last year, the girls were runner-ups at district; this year, they fell short of second place by 27 strokes. Fields, who placed first individually last year, will advance individually once again after placing fifth.
“[At district], the first nine holes [were] really bad mentally,” Fields said. “I had a bad mental game, and was getting ahead of myself. I wasn’t playing the patient game that I usually play. [On the] second day, I played a lot cleaner, but I’m still not exactly too proud about my placement.”
The team will play at Tangle Ridge for regionals. Both girls and boys played the 6A district preview at the course, and have also played tournaments at the location in the past.
“[We’re] really learning about the course that we’re going to play and being prepared for it is [our] priority,” Grawunder said. “Preparation is always the key, but golf is all about the variable. It depends on the wind that day, the weather [and] there’s so many things that go into it. We [need to] continue to focus on the things that help keep us in a place where we can be successful.”
At regionals, the boys team is looking out for Southlake Carroll, Dallas Jesuit and Denton Guyer as the team is hoping to place in the top three to make state. As an individual, Fields is working to place in the top five and advance.
“We’re all putting in a lot of practice time,” Grawunder said. “We get practice every day, but the majority of our players are putting in extra time working on the fundamentals and playing in tournaments outside of school. [It] helps prepare them for the bigger tournaments that we play. At the district championship, the team came together at the right time — we’re hoping to see that again.”
