How was 2023 Boy’s Golf Season?

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As the boy’s season comes to a close, I can officially declare this season a success!

— Jay Cheney

In 2020, the boys Golf team was cancelled. In 2021, there was only 1 golfer and 4 in 2022. Now in 2023 16 athletes had interest in playing Golf. Now 9 athletes have committed to staying on the team. 

 Meet The Team

• Leo Calderon, a sophomore, is a veteran back on the team.  He’s started the season in a good place and his 66 average doesn’t show that his scores have continued to improve.
• Adryan Fuentes, a senior and captain, has been super consistent in his scores, averaging 51 for each nine holes.  This is a five shot improvement over last year.  
• Josue Elena, a junior, is brand new to golf, having never picked up a club before January.  He has already used his natural athletic talent to quickly learn the game.  He has posted a PR with each round he has played.  
• Jose Flores, a sophomore, was trying out golf last year but opted to focus on the track team.  This year he is doing both.  He has had a PR in each of the two rounds he has played.  This week I asked him about last year’s decision to not play golf.  His reply, “big mistake.”  I don’t think I’ve ever had a player express so much joy about the fun of the game.
• David Gonzalez, a junior, is Ricardo’s brother but hasn’t played as much golf with dad.  He is improving dramatically fast though.  He hasn’t played in a tournament yet but he is really improving the quality of his shots.
• Ricardo Gonzalez, a freshman, comes to the team having played some golf with his dad.  He’s currently averaging 59, and continues to improve. His passion for golf is spreading to the other boys.  I can see the scenario that has Ricardo being a top player in the league for several years.
• Rafael Manzano, a freshman, is brand new to golf be he may be the player that is most dedicated to improve.  Every weekend he goes to Rancho Maria on his own to practice and play.  Watch for his name as a frequently scorer over the next 4 years.  He is learning the game and his scores are showing that improvement.
• Ricardo Vazquez, a senior and new to golf, is in my 3rd period and responded to my recruiting.  He’s having fun, improving his skills and will work his way into the lineup soon enough.  He will become the best putter on the team.  He spends the entire passing period before class starts practicing his putting in my classroom.  He’s developing a good touch.
• Johnny Zelaya, a junior, is back on the team from last year.  He has, by far, the most consistent swing.  We are working on him developing more distance to help his scores.  He is Mr. Consistency.  He never misses any practice and is an example of dedication to the team. 

 Time Line

In the beginning of Boys’ golf season, they were progressing rapidly. The team were practicing regardless of the windy and raining conditions. They only have one hitting stall which means the boys weren’t getting much practice hitting. Besides that, they competed in their first two tournaments at PVHS and the Paso Robles, and they were already ahead of PVHS.

With the raining conditions they still manage to get by in Nipomo tournament at Monarch Dunes. Adryan Fuentes, the anchor of the team, posting his high school best 48 in the nine-hole tournament. Ricardo Gonzalez, achieving an all-time personal low score breaking 50 for the first time in his life with a 49. Josue Elena improving his career PR to 52, 21 shots better than his first official nine-hole round!

David Gonzalez and Leo Calderon shows improvement by rounding out their team’s score! Having a score of 280 was more than enough to be ahead of PVHS and “start nipping at the heals of Orcutt Academy.” -Jay Cheney.

How hard is trying to hit a ball around a golf course on an extremely windy location? Hard enough that all 48 golfers were being tremendously challenged.  April 3rd, the Boys Golf team faced off with the Ocean League again in the Cabrillo tournament at the Mission Club in Lompoc. Fortunately, the saints managed to persevere through the elements better than others. Adryan improving his PR by twice reaching a PR of 91 for the tournament! Ricardo had a PR for 18 holes with a 107, averaging his score at 55.  “David, Leo and Johnny Zelaya did power through the discouraging day and showed the heart of true competitors.”, words from Mr. Cheney himself.

The Boy’s Golf team never put a pause on practicing to become better golfers. This fact played a successful performance in their 7th league tournament at La Purisima in Lompoc. La Purisima Golf Course is considered “one of the more challenging courses in California”. Regardless of this fact, the saints still manage to make an outstanding showing. Many of the boys hit PRs for nine-scores and 3 with their best ever 18-hole scores. There score marked “a dramatic improvement”, the team achieved a score of 564. The saints were once again ahead of PVHS and had finally beat Orcutt Academy.

The Boy’s Golf team had a successful showing in the Ocean League tournament in Atascadero. Leo Calderon and Jose Flores had posted PRs for 18 holes and the first 9 for Leo, and the second 9 for Jose were both 9-hole PRs for them.  For Leo, his 57 on the first nine holes marks the first time he has ever scored in the 50s.  David Gonzalez also had a PRs for both 18 & 9 holes.  Adryan Fuentes & Ricardo Gonzalez both scored under their season averages to lead the team.  Rafael Manzano was a last-minute fil-in and he played better than his average scores this season.