Copious training was helpful for the boys’ golf team performance at their last match when they defeated Southwest by a significant margin of 21 strokes, according to junior Charlie Harper.

“We’ve been practicing a lot (and) working hard as we have Sections coming up, so we were very well prepared for today,” Harper said. “As a team we played pretty well, and our team score was pretty low. We won by about 20 strokes.”

Senior Owen Goddard said he feels he had a productive match, and appreciates the teams’ support.

“At a match like today it was really important to have communication between the players, and that was helpful. Individually, I think I was able to stay focused on my own game, have fun, stay mentally healthy and not put too much pressure on myself,” Goddard said.

Coach Mike Okey said he has noticed general improvement with the team, and trusts they will continue to advance.

“The team has been getting better every match. There are a couple struggles with consistency but overall the scores have been getting lower and lower,” Okey said. “We played really good at the conference championships the other day, and things are finally starting to hit their groove a little bit.”

According to Harper, both negative and positive characteristics of the golf course they played on impacted the outcome of the match.

“(The course) is easy because it’s not very long, but it’s hard because there’s a lot of blind tee shots where you can’t necessarily see where you’re supposed to be aiming, which makes it much more difficult. There’s also a lot of water on the course too, which can be an issue,” Harper said.

Okey said it is his job to keep the team optimistic throughout the matches and the season, and hopes it will pay off in the near future.

“I keep a positive attitude and try to get the team to really think about their golf game and not just going to hit the ball. Every shot has a purpose,” Okey said. “It’s a short season, nobody is really playing their best golf yet, but I’ve seen remarkable improvement from everybody.”

Goddard said the team has been more enjoyable this year as the whole team has come together in support.

“Golf is a team event but it is individual in the sense that you are working on your own game. It really was fun to be out there with the whole (junior varsity) and and varsity team,” Goddard said.

According to Okey, he expects the team to come together one last time at the upcoming Sections match to play to the best of their abilities.

“I think they all know that Sections is the biggest match of the year and they all hope to do well at Sections,” Okey said. “They’ve (played) the course before, and they just have to work on pulling off the shots and just having fun.”

The next varsity match is against Burnsville May 21 at the Minneapolis Golf Club.