Going undefeated and collecting the League and Sebonack Championship titles in the regular season didn’t seem to be enough for the WHB boys varsity golf team, as they set big goals for the post-season.
This year, the Hurricanes went 10-0 on the season, beating out historically strong Southampton and East Hampton teams, both at home and away. With senior captains Owen Jessop and Charlie Beasley leading the lineup, the Canes’ shot a collective 180 against William Floyd at Rock Hill, breaking the previous school scoring record.
According to Charlie, the team’s biggest challenge was staying consistent in their scores. He said, “We knew going in if we played consistently good golf we were going to be hard to beat and we did just that.”
Although the Canes made it look easy, a lot of work went into preparing for each match and opponent. Head Coach Fred Musumeci said, “Match by match most of it is just mental. We’ll talk about for away matches course management, what holes that we need to watch out for and how to play those holes, but for the most part just about being on your game and coming as low as we can.”
In addition, Owen Jessop, the team’s alternating #1, said that it took the team a lot of long days on the course and on the range to get where they are today.
Going into the post-season, the boys were seeded as number one in Suffolk County. While the team competes both individually and collectively, they hope to make a deep as a run as possible.
Starting off on that run, Zach Berger, a four year starting junior, won the Individual County Championship at Pine Hill: shooting -7 over a two day period. Jessop placed second, shooting +2, and senior Reid Groth placed seventh.
Berger, Jessop, and Groth will all represent Suffolk County and WHB golf at the State Tournament this spring.
In coming weeks, the Canes will compete against both new and old opponents to be considered for the County Championship title. Coach Musumeci said they are likely to face Southampton, Sayville, and high ranked Bayport on their journey to the finals.
Even though next season, the golf team will have lost four starters, Beasley and Jessop aren’t worried. With Zach Berger returning for his fifth and final season, along with sophomores Nico Arena and Caden Padavan, and freshman Dan Schumacher, the future’s looking bright. Charlie said that these players “got tons of experience this year that they’ll be able to use next year.”
The graduating seniors; Jessop, Beasley, Groth, and Nick Borruso, will be heavily missed not only for their skills as golfers, but for the energy and personality they brought to the team. Coach Musumeci said, “They’re high quality individuals, they’re great golfers, but even beyond that they’re fabulous young men and they have great leadership qualities and they’re going to go places.”
Follow the team’s progress on Instagram: @canes_golf
