Little Tigers head to TOC
By: Bob Nuse
For the Princeton High golf team, nothing beats consistency.
And because of that consistency, not much beats Princeton.
With all four players shooting 80 or under, the Little Tigers captured the North Jersey Section 1-2 championship on Monday at Overpeck Golf Course in Teaneck. Will Madden led the way for Princeton with a 4-over par 76 as Princeton won the sectional title by five strokes over Millburn.
"We got the job done," said Princeton junior Curtis Smith. "I think we were all a little disappointed with our scores and felt like we could have done better. We had all been playing better and then had a little bit of trouble finishing up. But in the end, we all did well enough to win.
"I was putting up a good round and then I went 4-over on the last three holes. So I was disappointed with that. But it’s great to win and that’s what matters most. We’re all pretty excited about winning. We’re 4-for-4 now in tournaments this year."
Princeton, which won the Mercer County Tournament title last week, has also won the Cherry Valley Invitational and the Bunker Hill Tournament this year. Now they can add a sectional title, with hopes of capturing the Group III state title at Monday’s Tournament of Champions at the Burlington Country Club.
Madden’s 76 led the Little Tigers, while Peter Teifer had a 77, George Graham had a 79 and Smith added an 80. The balanced effort helped Princeton overcome the 73 of individual champion Jake Gurland, who led Millburn to a second-place finish.
"We were real happy with the outcome," Smith said. "Millburn had three guys in the 70s, but they also had one in the high 80s. So we all came in pretty balanced and that was the difference. We had confidence going in and felt like we could win it. Last year we were second at the sectionals and we really wanted to win it this year.
"We’re looking forward to the Tournament of Champions. We got there last year, but no one played well and we finished 10th. This year we’d like to do better. We have four guys that are capable of shooting in the 70s, so we feel like that could help us win it."
Princeton will head to the Tournament of Champions with a No. 1 ranking in the state from the Dorf Feature Service. But the Little Tigers don’t see that as any sort of burden. In fact, they use it as a little bit of motivation.
"Everyone expects a lot out of our team and I think that might put a little more pressure on us," Princeton coach Sheryl Severance said. "I think it’s kind of a mixed blessing being No. 1. It’s nice to get the recognition, but it also means everyone is looking to beat you. But I tell the guys not to worry about. I’ll do all the worrying for you. I probably get more nervous than anyone else."
Princeton won the sectional title in 2005, then finished second last year. This year they made it two in the last three years.
"This is a real good group," Severance said. "They really like each other and enjoy playing together. They hang out together off the course and there isn’t any competition between them. They just go out and play and so far they’ve been very successful."
Three of the Little Tigers Teifer, Smith and Jon Bichsel have been playing together since middle school. The three are all from Cranbury and have played various courses throughout the area.
"All three of us have played a lot together," Smith said. "Peter and Jon have known each other longer and they live right by each other. I came in during middle school and started to play with them. Jon’s uncle is the pro at Peddie and we’ve been able to play over there.
"We play at Forsgate and some of the other courses around. It’s a lot of fun playing with those guys. Our whole team really gets along well. The last couple years were tough because we had so much competition within the team itself just to get into the top five. This year our top five is pretty set all year, so we just concentrate on the matches."
And so far that’s led to a pretty successful season. Princeton is 16-1 in dual matches, with the lone loss coming to West Windsor-Plainsboro South by one stroke. Now the Little Tigers will look to cap the season with a win at the Tournament of Champions.