MHS’ Marfuggi lowers scores to lift boys’ golf team
By: Bob Nuse
Gino Marfuggi would love to make a career out of the sport of golf.
That career may not necessarily be as a player, but he hopes to be involved in some way.
"I want to keep playing," the Montgomery High senior said. "I’m not sure yet about where I’m going to college. I may try to walk on to a team. But I know I want to be involved with golf management. I’ve been learning while I work at Cherry Valley and I know that’s what I want to do. I’d love to run my own pro shop. It’s a great sport and I want to stay involved."
Before he starts planning his lifelong career, Marfuggi has a nice career on the golf team at Montgomery to conclude. As a senior he’s playing the best golf of his career and he’s helped the Cougars start the season with six wins in seven matches.
"I felt like we would have more like a 4-3 record," said Marfuggi, who has a season-low round of 37 this season. "But the younger kids have really stepped up. We have a freshman at No. 6 (Jeff Thomsen) and he has really proven himself to me and the other guys on the varsity as a good player.
"My average is at 39 right now, so I am down three strokes from last year. I have been working a lot on my game and that has really helped me. I work at Cherry Valley, so I am around the course all the time. I’ve put in a lot of time on the driving range and it also helps me that Cherry Valley is our home course."
Marfuggi is part of a solid group of golfers that have proven to be very successful this season. The Cougars’ only loss came by one stroke against North Hunterdon.
"We’re playing well and I’m very pleased," Montgomery coach Charlie Olenick said. "Everybody that we have back from last year is playing better, and we have some strong new players who have stepped in and done a nice job. Jay Jackett has had some good rounds and Gino Marfuggi is playing great. He was our third best last year and he’s doing great this year. He and Matt Quinlan have had some great rounds early and a couple not as good, but that’s what golf is all about.
"All of our guys have improved since last year."
Among them is Marfuggi, whose average has dropped from 42 to 39 in just one year.
"He’s our No. 1 at the moment," Olenick said. "He’s averaging below a 40, which is significant. We don’t play easy courses. Most of the places we play are par 36. We also have some younger kids that are going to be good players. So we have a nice mix right now."
If the younger golfers show the same commitment to the sport and work ethic that Marfuggi has in his four years in the program, the Cougars could be something special in years to come.
"I think next year this team is going to be great," Marfuggi said. "I’m sorry I won’t be around to play with these younger players. You can see that they are going to be really good. We have great team chemistry this year. We’re all on the same page with what we want to do.
"A lot of people think golf is just an individual sport, but we don’t look at it that way. We all support each other and that makes a difference. I remember my sophomore year there was a match where I felt like I had lost the match for our team. Landon Boger was a senior and he came over and talked to me about it and helped pick me up. I want to be able to do the same kind of thing for the younger players on our team now."
The Cougars will get a chance this week to see just how far they have come when they take on some of the better teams on their schedule. Montgomery plays at Hillsborough today and also faces Ridge and Hunterdon Central this week.
"We’re looking forward to the Hillsborough match," Marfuggi said. "They have a real good team and they’re ranked No. 1 in the state. We’re all friends between the two teams, so it should be a good match. We feel like we have a chance to pull it out if we all play our best. But it is going to be tough. We also have Ridge this week, which is another big match."
The Cougars finished seventh in the Somerset County Tournament last week and should qualify for the state tournament. So there is still plenty of quality golf ahead of the team this year.
"We came in fifth at the Somerset County Tournament but we didn’t play that well," said Marfuggi, who shot a 77 and finished seventh. "We felt like we could have done better. No one really played to their best that day, so we feel like we could have had a better showing than we did."
So far this season, most of the Cougars’ showings have been pretty impressive. And Marfuggi has been right there at the top as a senior leader.
"I started out a little shaky," he said. "But now I feel like I can shoot a 37 or 38 every time out. We’ll need that against a team like Hillsborough. I have not shot over a 41 all year, so I have been more consistent. Our coach said he’s happy with that. I’m more consistent this year rather than up and down."
"I got a putting arc from my pro and that has helped my putting come around a lot. I’ve used that and I’ve also put in a lot of time practicing."
That’s the kind of thing a guy looking towards a career in golf needs to do. And Gino Marfuggi is one of those guys.