Boys golf has new look, but familiar results
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
The West Windsor-Plainsboro High South boys golf team has a much different look to it this season.
Gone from last year’s Mercer County Tournament championship team are five seniors as well as long-time head coach Russell Wray.
But even with the new look, the Pirates have continued to win with the same regularity they have in year’s past. They took a 9-3 record into Wednesday’s Mercer County Tournament, which was stopped midway through the round when heavy rain forced the players off the course. The MCT will conclude next Wednesday, May 9, at 3:30 p.m. at Mercer Oaks with the players picking up where they left the course when the rain came.
”We graduated five seniors and Jake (Gurock) is the only one with multiple match experience that we have back this year,” said the Pirates’ first-year head coach Bob Schurtz. “Part of what we have been trying to do is get guys more matches in. We cut down on our numbers a bit. We only have the two seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen. We are trying to get everyone on the course as much as possible and everyone has an average under 47 right now. They are all real competitors.”
Gurock made an impact as a freshman and has been the Pirates’ top player this year. The team has just two seniors in first-year varsity performers Tim Oh and Lucas Kim, while a majority of the team is made up of underclassmen.
”I have been pretty satisfied with the team this season,” said Oh, whose brother Steve was a senior on last year’s team. “We’ve had a few losses but still have a great team. We have a young team but we still have potential. When we play to our full potential we have a chance to beat every team.
”We had five seniors last year. This year we have two. In the beginning, Jake was leading the team. I was focused on my own game. But I started to take a leadership role and we had some lunch meetings and more serious team practices. That helped the team. We talked to each other a lot and formed a deep bond as a team.”
Oh and Kim have been solid players for the Pirates and their experience, while not at the varsity level, has helped.
”I have been working hard and we have been having meetings,” Kim said. “I was not able to participate much last year as a top six player. This year I worked hard and I try to contribute as much as possible. The results are not bad.
”I still felt that we would be a decent team. We are all working together. We have a lot of underclassmen and they can improve over the years with the team.”
The Pirates may not be one of the favorites to repeat as MCT champs, but the young group is laying the groundwork for a solid future.
”We have a couple guys that have separated themselves at the top,” Schurtz said. “Hopefully we can continue to develop as players. We had some big shoes to fill with the seniors who graduated and also with Russell as coach.
”We definitely have the talent and ability to go really low. We have not had that day when all of the players have been at their best at the same time. Jake is the most consistent and has earned the right to be in the mix as one of top guys in the area. I think after that it is Tim and Lucas as seniors trying to get the team in the right direction.”
The top five also includes junior Josh Godofsky and freshman Tommy Hussong.
”Tommy is in the mix working his way up,” Schurtz said. “He is fighting with Lucas for the No. 3 spot. He started as our JV point guard in basketball. He has been one of our more steady players. He broke his arm during basketball and missed a month of golf. He got the cast off on a Wednesday. We let him take a couple days to get ready and then he comes out and shoots a 38 his first day out. So he can play.”
Oh has been in the high 30s, which put him behind Gurock on the team ladder.
”In these last couple days,” Oh said, “I have been playing with the right rhythm. I have felt pretty confident with my play and feel like I have been improving.”
Like Oh, Kim has also been making steady progress and is making his first season at the varsity level his best.
”I picked up golf my freshman year in December and just started at that time,” Kim recalled. “I gave it my best shot at the first tryout and made the team. The last two years I have been practicing every day and have learned and improved a lot. I have learned a lot from golf. I was really passionate about it. I am always practicing and trying to get better.”