Men’s golf team falls short on home soil
By Davie Wong, Sports Editor
It’s been a tough season of golf for the Royals men’s golfing team. The team that had originally come into the season hoping to repeat their National ambitions is pretty much gone now. They instead look to salvage their season as they find themselves crawling along on the bottom of the PACWEST standings.
There was hope that the men would be able to find themselves on home soil, playing in the Lower Mainland for the first time this season. Those hopes were quickly dashed on the first day. Playing on the Westwood Plateau golf course, which boasts 18 holes and a 72 stroke par, the team struggled to find their form. Fourth-year golfer Steven Hayes led the team on the scoreboard, finishing the day with a stroke count of 76. However, it was the rest of the team that really fell short. Second-year captain Josh Legge continued his sophomore-slump, and wrung in day one with a whopping 81 stroke total, which was tied by fellow Royals golfer Ryan August. Daniel Porter and Travis LeClair, two other Royals, were closer to the mark with a score of 75 and 77 respectively.
Day two brought minimal improvement to the team. Legge finished the day with 80 strokes to bring his total to 161. Porter and LeClair struggled to finish strongly, and ended ther day with scores of 82 and 87 respectively. Porter would end his campaign with a score of 157, while LeClair finished with a 164. Steven Hayes also had a bad day on the green, and ended the day with 78, ending the weekend with a team-best 154. However, the score would put Hayes tied for 16th which is much lower than the team needed.
The weekend can be seen as a heartbreaker for the team. While ambitions of a National berth were still whispered about going into the weekend, they have all but disappeared going out of it. The Royals sit at the bottom on the PACWEST standings with a cumulative stroke count of 1881. They trail the first place Camosun Chargers by 122 strokes. The team needs a real miracle (or disaster) for them to even consider Nationals anymore. However, it’s not all doom and gloom.
The Royal’s roster is fairly green this year. Boasting a roster with three second-year players, all of whom are in the midst of a sophomore-slump, and three rookies, who have just gotten their first taste of PACWEST action this season, the team can really look to next year as a bright point. Steven Hayes, who is in the middle of his fourth year of PACWEST play, is the sole veteran player. His experience on the green shows, and if he comes back next year, the team may well have a shot at redeeming themselves.
However, their eyes will have to be focused elsewhere, as the team travels to Vancouver Island next week to play in the VIU Invitational to end their season. With Nationals pretty safely out of reach, the trip will likely be more of a personal one, where players will be looking to end their season on a high note.
