BREWSTER – Before Sunday, the one time Wellesley was invited to the Cape Cod Golf Club High School Invitational, the Raiders got here up quick with a fifth-place end in 2019.
Three years later, Wellesley lastly bought to show they belong amongst the elite highschool packages.
Wellesley received the sixth annual match by one stroke with a rating of 227 over Bishop Stang, who led many of the manner after the entrance 9, and Concord-Carlisle.
Ben Madden’s 1-under par on the entrance 9 paced the workforce victory whereas Owen Blakely was regular the complete manner and completed with a 73, one-over par. Brian Campbell (76) completed out the highest trio.
“I was able to roll a couple of tight ones in and birdied the par threes and opened up with a birdie, so that’s always nice,” stated Madden, a junior. “I think (the team win) provides a lot of momentum, I feel like we have a really good team, and we can make a deep run in the states.”
Will Spring (74) led Concord-Carlisle whereas Matthew Costello and Matthew Oliveira every additionally shot 74 because the three tied for seventh place general within the particular person competitors.
With the win, Wellesley is robotically entered within the match for 2023 and barring one thing out of the strange – the foursome will probably be again as Madden and Blakely graduate in 2024 whereas Campbell is just a sophomore.
“Ben played lights out on the front and Owen and Brian were just steady the whole way,” stated Wellesley head coach Ken Bateman. “The boys were saying how excited they were that we matched up well against the other (Div. 1) schools, but they are excited to see what we can do in the sectionals and what we can do in the states. That’s if we get there, you always have to get there.”
The actual star of the course was Ryan Downes of Longmeadow, who turned the primary particular person back-to-back winner of the occasion with a course tournament-record 68 – two strokes higher than his win final season.
Downes began on the tenth gap and the consensus is the again 9 on the Cape Cod National Golf Course is two-to-three strokes harder than the entrance 9, but it surely didn’t faze Downes. The junior sensation, who’s being recruited by Vanderbilt amongst a slew of Division 1 faculties, shot a 3-under par from holes 10-18 to cruise to a three-stroke victory. Molly Smith (Westford Academy) got here up simply quick in her bid for the title with a 71. Zach Pelzar (Weston), Trevor Drew (Tyngsboro), and John Scully (Winchester) every tied for third with a par-72 on the day.
“Conditions played really tough today and I think my ball striking was really good as I hit 15 out of 18 greens, so that was really good,” stated Downes, who promised he was returning in 2023 to defend the two-time crown. “I birdied the tenth which is obviously a good start, I bogeyed 11 but that is just a really tough hole, but I mean it’s just a hard nine and I feel I struck the ball well and I knew the front nine was going to play a little easier.”
TEAM RESULTS: 1. Wellesley 226; 2T. Bishop Stang 227; 2T. Concord-Carlisle 227; 4. St. John’s (Danvers) 230; 5. Weston, 234. 6. St. John’s (Shrewsbury) 240; 7. Winchester 242; 8. Duxbury 244; 9. B.C. High 249; 10T. Xaverian 254; 10T. Sandwich, 254; 10T. Dover-Sherborn 254; 12. Lincoln-Sudbury 264.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS: Ryan Downes (Longmeadow) 68; 2. Molly Smith (Westford Academy), 71; 3T. Zach Pelzar (Weston), 72; 3T. Trevor Drew (Tyngsboro), 72; 3T. John Scully (Winchester), 72; 6. Owen Blakely, 73; 7T. Will Spring, 74; 7T. Matthew Oliveira (Bishop Stang), 74; 7T. Matthew Costello (Bishop Stang), 74; 10T. Chad Tordone, 75; 10T Terry Manning, 75.
Source: www.bostonherald.com