It was yet another windy day at the Echo Lake Country Club. Coming off recent aeration, the greens were gaining speed, and the temperatures dropped from last week’s 80-degree conditions. However, none of this was able to deter the WHS boys golf team from coming out on top, defeating Summit 149-154.
The match was a toss-up and ultimately came down to some key scores at crucial times. Senior Nick Benson shot a 37, a score that helped Westfield succeed on the leaderboard. But his number didn’t come easy, and with the slurry of conditions working against the Blue Devils, Benson had to keep his calm in order to secure his mark. Benson said, “We were focusing on our own game and weren’t worrying about the score. We were just taking each shot for what it was, and not looking at the next shot, making sure to stay in the moment.”
The star of the match was sophomore Chase Simms, who scored a 33, 2-under-par. Despite his phenomenal score, he personally emphasized things he wants to work on in the future to benefit his team, saying, “I want to tighten a couple of things up. I’m in a really good spot as a team and for myself, so if I could just work on some things, probably off the tee, and put it in the fairway more. I think it’ll be really good for the team.”
On April 21, the Blue Devils fell short to Summit in the Union County Conference – Watchung Division, a loss that clearly did not sit right with the team. They stepped onto their home course with something to prove, and came out and did just that. Head coach Ryan Daly said, “This win says a lot about these guys. The guys came out strong and wanted to defend their home course and played well. They handled adversity and supported each other as teammates.”
Senior captain Ben Barshtak, who is out for the season due to an injury, agreed with this, saying, “Taking a loss to Summit in the county division tournament yesterday, and then coming back and beating them at our home course today says that even though we took a loss, we’re not gonna put our heads down. We’re going to keep fighting.”
Next up, the Blue Devils will compete in the annual Swing Against Cancer Tournament hosted by the Peddie School on April 25. The tournament will be held at 1 p.m. at the Peddie Golf Club and the team is looking to continue this momentum in order to come out on top with another win.
