After days of brittle temperatures and difficult course conditions, the conditions were finally in favor for the WHS boys golf team. In sun and warm weather, the Blue Devils outscored Cranford 153-169 at Echo Lake Country Club. Sophomore Aedan Donnelly led the team with a 36, followed by freshman Eli Diamant and seniors Matthew McKenna and Nick Benson all recording a score of 39.
In the typical six-count-four format, two scores did not count for the team. Westfield’s no 1. seed, sophomore Jack Brouillard expressed his struggles on the course today. “It was a tough day with the heat, but I grinded it out and tried my best and we got it done,” he said.
Sophomore Chase Simms had to withdraw after six holes due to an injury, but he will be back for the tournament on Monday. Head coach Ryan Daly commented, “He got through six holes and then he withdrew today. I’m confident that he’ll recover and heal up [for Monday].
Out of the top six scores between Westfield and Cranford, five were from the Blue Devils, demonstrating their dominance over the Cougars.
Many of the players had their strengths and weaknesses during the round. Benson explained how he struggled off the tee, but his short game was what kept his round together. He said, “I would say my chipping was really, really good. My putting was good, which saved me on a couple holes. Playing Cranford, it feels good to come out and get a win against the rivals.”
This season, the Blue Devils are playing without senior captain Ben Barshtak who is out due to an injury. However, Barshtak still shows up to support and lead the team. He said, “It’s definitely unfortunate not getting to tee it up [this season], but we got a really solid squad. We have 11 guys who can go out and put up a good score and a lot of underclassmen who show a lot of promise, so I’m confident about the next couple of years.”
This match at Echo Lake allowed the Blue Devils to get a preview on what they will face on Monday. The team explained how the conditions were great and are ready to play in one of the most competitive environments of the season.
Daly said, “I think this one win is great for our momentum because a lot of guys had to step up since Chase withdrew. We had a lot of younger guys who haven’t got as many opportunities this year [and they] really came through today with good scores.”
The Blue Devils head back to Echo Lake for the prestigious Blue Devil Invitational on Monday at 12 p.m.
