Little Tigers top field at CVCC
By: Justin Feil
Peter Teifer and the Princeton High boys’ golf team didn’t quite play the way they wanted in their first event of the 2007 season.
It didn’t take the Little Tigers long to atone for a 10th-place showing at the Palmetto (S.C.) Invitational on Saturday.
Teifer shot a 1-under 71 to lead the Little Tigers to the Montgomery High/Cherry Valley Country Club Invitational championship on Monday. The senior also led PHS to the championship there two years ago.
"I won two tournaments this summer, but I’ve never won a high school event," Teifer said. "I did come in thinking I had a chance. I’ve never shot under par for 18 holes ever."
Teifer’s score was one stroke better than Andrew Borsuk, whose 72 led Hillsborough to the second-place finish. PHS finished with a three-person score of 227, two strokes better than Hillsborough. Will Madden shot 76 for the Little Tigers while John Bichsel and George Graham each carded scores of 80 to put the Palmetto finish behind them.
"We got home late Saturday night," said PHS head coach Sheryl Severance. "I was a bit nervous walking into another tournament so soon. But maybe it helped to play a couple tough courses in South Carolina.
"I knew they had this in them. They were very disappointed in South Carolina. It was good to prove that they could do it. We love coming to this tournament. The field is very competitive. The course is great. They run is very professionally and the food is great."
Prepared by CVCC executive chef Michael Giletto, one of five nominated nationally for Chef Magazine’s 2006 Chef of the Year, the food matched the level of play under cold and windy conditions.
"The junior program is better than ever," explained CVCC director of golf Allan Bowman. "Part of the credit is to PGA professionals who are doing a better job than ever of teaching. These guys have had a lot of people around them to help them.
"Conditions were harder than last year," he added. "But a lot of the kids had to play matches last week and those conditions were just terrible. It was cold and windy. Today probably felt like a heat wave since it got up to 50 degrees."
Teifer took a page out of 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson’s book. Like Johnson had done Sunday, Teifer didn’t try to do too much Monday. He played the course smart to fend off tough conditions and forge a career-best score.
"It was windy so I slowed my swing down more," said the Cranbury resident. "I was trying to play it lower and put more club in it. If you slow your swing, the lower your shot and the straighter the shot goes. The ball flight had to be lower."
The next day, Teifer and the Little Tigers captured another tournament, the Bunker Hill Invitational. This time, it was Graham who led the way with a 6-over 78, the second-best score put up Tuesday. Teifer finished a stroke behind.
Both tournaments serve as a good test for teams as they gear up for their regular-season matches that begin in earnest this week. Defending CVCC Invite champion West Windsor-Plainsboro South finished fifth on a tiebreaker. Anthony Aloi finished with a third-place 73 as the Pirates shot 236 on the day.
"It’s our first event of the year so I’m not disappointed," said Pirates head coach Russell Wray. "We put up a good showing. We still have to work out some kinks. Without a lot of practice because of how it’s been, it’s tough.
"This is one of the rare occasions where they get to play 18. It’s a lot harder for high school players to be able to concentrate for 18 instead of nine. There are a lot more opportunities for mistakes. This is a good chance to play 18 holes and get some experience. Hopefully that pays off, and when we get to sectionals and states, they know how to handle themselves better."
The Hun School improved 13 strokes over last year’s showing. Led by a pair of 78s from Tom Stoddard and Charles Windon, finished ninth in the field of 20 teams with a score of 241.
"I’m looking for a little more improvement," said Hun head coach Dave Davis. "We have quality up top and more depth than last year. Once we all get comfortable, and as we get more experience, we’ll be right in the mix. We’re hoping to keep improving. We had two guys who felt good about today and two that want to work on it."
Montgomery High shot 247 to finish 11th. Gino Marfuggi led the host Cougars with an 82. WW-P North was just behind with 249, led by an 80 from Dan Trink. Princeton Day School’s John Inman had a 77 as the Panthers finished with a score of 252.
"The weather was tough, but the kids were still shooting the same," said Montgomery coach Charlie Olenick. "The level of golf has increased dramatically. These were tough conditions, but we still had a tremendous showing. Kids produced some incredible scores.
"We have a young team. We had two guys who played that shot 79 and 82, and the other two are just as good but just had a tough day. We’ve got counties coming up next week so we just have to keep improving."
It’s hard to imagine the Cherry Valley Invitational improving. It already has a waiting list of teams from around the state asking Olenick and Bowman to get them in. It’s why there’s such a value put on winning it and why the Little Tigers were feeling upbeat after Monday’s results.
"I’m terms of states, we want to win that as a team," Teifer said. "I would love to be state champion. That’s my goal this year. This is definitely a big confidence booster. I’ve got to thank God on this one.
"I’ve played it the last three years. I finished fourth my sophomore year. This tournament is run great. I really look forward to it."
Severance was happy to see her team regain a bit of its swagger after not living up to its high expectations in South Carolina. And she wasn’t surprised to see Peter Teifer leading the way, just as he did two years ago.
"I know he has it in him to be one of the best golfers in New Jersey," she said. "Whether he knows it or not, I don’t know. Maybe this will help."

