Two-time state participant Cameron Zwaller returns to lead the Archbishop Murphy boys golf team this season.
Zwaller, a senior, made the cut and finished 22nd at Bellingham Golf and Country Club last year. He holds seven team records, including a nine-hole best of 32 at Snohomish Golf Course. Zwaller’s best score this season was a one-over par 37 against Lakewood April 7 at Battle Creek Golf.
Junior Chase Larsen qualified for state last year and is the No. 2 golfer on the team. His best this season was a 38 against Cedarcrest April 3 at Carnation Golf Course.
The No. 3 golfer is sophomore Sam Hogensen, who shot a season-best 38 at Jackson Park Golf Course against King’s April 10.
Sophomore Joey Green is ranked No. 4 and his best was a 38 against Sultan March 31 at Battle Creek.
Three players — junior Brady Redington, senior Jeff Davis and senior Pat Hinwood — compete for the remaining two varsity slots.
“The kids are all working hard and improving,” Archbishop Murphy coach Jack Serwold said. “They’re improving quickly.”
Putting has been tough, with the greens slow and bumpy because of the cold, wet weather this spring.
“That’s where we lose most of our strokes is on putting,” Serwold said. “I suspect the conditions will get better and everybody will start playing better.”
South Whidbey, which finished fourth at state last year, has just about everybody back and is the team to beat in the Cascade Conference, Serwold said.
On the girls side, the Wildcats started the season 4-0 and are an early favorite to challenge defending champion Cedarcrest for the league title. Archbishop Murphy beat Cedarcrest in the teams’ first match this season, 86-73 in Stableford points.
“We’ve been winning pretty handily in our first four matches,” fourth-year coach Mike Endsley said.
The Wildcats are led by senior Michelle Grome, who tied for 30th at state last year. Grome was the medalist in every match the team played in last year and has been medalist in all four matches this year, averaging 23 Stableford points per match. Players get five Stableford points for a birdie, four for a par, three for a bogey and so on.
The Wildcats have played better as a team, however, with the fourth, fifth and sixth players in the lineup making more of a contribution.
“We’re doing so much better as a team and not having to rely on Michelle to win the match for us,” Endsley said. “We’re getting very balanced scoring this year.”
The rest of the lineup in order of highest scores to lowest scores includes junior Erin Gogal, senior Erica Frahm, senior Kaitlin Leonard, sophomore Jordan Nelson, junior Brittany Varriano and senior Melissa Myers.
Endsley hopes at least two and perhaps three golfers will be among the 20 that go to state from 2A District 1.
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