Phelan lead WW-P South to team golf title
By: Bob Nuse
Even if no one else thought it was possible, the West Windsor-Plainsboro South golf team knew it had a chance to win at Monday’s prestigious Cherry Valley Invitational.
With all four of its players shooting in the 70s, WW-P South finished with a three-player score of 224 to win the event by three strokes over Lawrence and Immaculata. Senior Ryan Phelan led the Pirates with a 70, which was the Second-best score of the day behind the 68 shot by Kevin Foley of Immaculata. Anthony Aloi and Mike March each shot 77, while Ben Kim shot a 78.
Four players played for each team, with the top three scores counting for the team title.
Princeton, which shot a 228, finished fourth. Montgomery shot a 239, while Princeton Day School shot a 243, the Hun School shot a 254, and WW-P North finished with a 256.
"We played great," said WW-P South coach Russell Wray, whose team had never finished higher than third in its previous visits to the tournament. "This was a great opportunity for us because we were playing against some great competition. But we felt like we had a chance to win it.
"We’ve been playing well and a couple of times we nearly broke the school record. We had two matches last week where we shot 186, which is just two shots away from the record. So we knew if we played well, we had a chance."
Phelan had the best day of all for the Pirates, coming within two shots of the tournament leader. His round continues what has been a very good stretch for him, having three straight rounds of 37 or better last week.
"It was a good win for us because the best teams around the area were all there," Phelan said. "So it felt real good for us to win it. In the past, we haven’t done real well there at all. Actually, since I’ve been on the team we haven’t done well in any of the 18-hole tournaments. We really have not put up good scores in those tournaments."
But this time it was different. All four of the Pirates’ golfers finished in the Top 20 in the field of 80 golfers. That depth helped fight off the challenge of some pretty good teams.
"We have a lot of depth and we have golfers that can shoot in the 70s for 18 holes and in the 30s for nine holes," Phelan said. Phelan, who is in his third year with the varsity, is playing the best golf of his high school career right now.
"Over the summer, I was playing a lot and really worked on my swing and my short game," he said. "I was starting to make some shots and I was playing much smarter. I would say in the summer I averaged right around 75 for my tournaments, and I played in quite a few.
"I started playing much better last summer and it has carried over into the season. I’ve shot 69 a couple of times outside of competition."
Wray has certainly noticed the difference in Phelan’s game, which is part of the reason the team is 7-2 at this point in the season.
"This is his senior year and he played a lot of NJGA events over the summer, so he has worked hard on his game," Wray said. "This year he has spent a lot more time working on his game in practice. His game has really matured and he’s playing much better. Part of it is experience, and also that he has really started to work at the game."
The next big challenge for the Pirates will be next Thursday’s Mercer County Tournament. Defending champion Princeton will still be considered the favorite, but the Pirates plan on making the Little Tigers work for that title.
"We’re looking forward to the county tournament," Phelan said. "We know we can play well enough to win if we all play the way we can play. We won at Cherry Valley and Anthony didn’t even have his best day. He shot a 77, and he is capable of much better than that. He shot 40 on the back nine, which is unusual for him."
And at some point this season, the Pirates also hope to make a run at the school record for a dual match, which is 184.
"I think this team is very capable of breaking that record," said Wray, who was part of the 1993 team that shot the school record 184. "They’ve come close twice. In one of the matches, Mike shot a 40, which is unusual for him. So they definitely have the ability to do it. We’re playing well right now and hopefully we can keep it rolling."
And with several sophomores in the lineup, there is no telling how long they can keep doing it.
"Dan Kim, Greg Quinton and Evan McGrain, another sophomore, have all come in and done real well," Wray said. "And we also have Anthony, who is a sophomore. It’s nice to have a young team. And the seniors, Ryan and Mike, have been the leaders to this point. They have done a great job."
Mike DiMeglio shot a 75 to lead Princeton to its 228 score on Monday. Jordan Gibbs finished with a 76 and Jason Barry shot a 77. Mike Tuosto led Montgomery with a 78, while Gino Marfuggi shot a 79. PDS was led by freshman John Inman, who shot an 81. Hun’s Scott Demler and Tom Stoddard each shot an 83 to lead the Raiders, while Bill Carson led WW-P North with an 81.

