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On the back nine, Riley Muljadi ’28 and Jordyn Choe ’27 celebrate with their clubs in the air. Completing the tournament with their friends gave the golfers a chance to have fun in between hitting.
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On the edge of the green, Reagon Frank ’25 carefully places his ball. The tournament required the golfers to stay focused throughout so they could hit precise shots.
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While his team watches, a golfer hits a tee shot. Delays in the teams’ progression around the course allowed them to socialize and encourage each other while waiting.
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Beneath the shade of the trees, Jordyn Choe ’27 prepares to make a tee shot. Choe was responsible for keeping score for her team throughout the tournament.
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A few feet from the hole, Riley Muljadi ’28 plans her next shot. Muljadi’s team won second place against 11 other girls teams.
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After receiving a sandwich, Riley Muljadi ’28 smiles as she walks to the next hole. Toward the end of the tournament, the team’s morale improved as they received food from the coaches.
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At a snack table, Evelyn Stidvent ’26, Shruthi Srikanth ’25, and Marlene Luo ’25 eat and talk. Since they were hosting the tournament, the coaches worked hard to provide snacks and lunches to the competing players.
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After her team completes the hole, Jordyn Choe ’27 restores the flag. The golfers were allowed to move the flags at each hole to hit more accurately.
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Framed by the trees, Shruthi Srikanth ’25 hits a tee shot while her teammates watch. The front nine holes were located in a well-maintained yet forested area that provided Srikanth’s team with shade during the first half of the tournament, improving their morale and energy levels. ““Golf is a mental game,” teammate Marlene Luo ‘25 said. “We definitely did better when we encouraged each other and maintained a positive mindset.”
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Using sand, Tiffany Gao ’27 fills in holes in the ground. The players were responsible for maintaining the course throughout the tournament, which entailed filling in holes and smoothing over used sand pits.
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The JV golf teams competed against 13 other Central Texas high schools in a par 3 golf tournament on Monday, Dec. 9. By the end of the five-hour tournament, the three boys teams had achieved first, second, and third place among their category, and the two girls teams had placed second and third among the girls.
“I always expect our teams to perform well because we have a lot of experienced players,” Assistant Coach Paige Scharchburg said. “[We were] hosting this tournament. This is where we practice every day, so we know our players are capable of shooting low scores here, and we’re glad that they did.
Coming in at first place with a score of +16, the second boys team started at hole 1b and completed three of the next nine holes one under par during the second half of the tournament. To avoid the stress of the tournament, the golfers socialized in large groups while waiting for the team ahead to finish up. Moreover, each player listened to music while they were playing to calm their nerves. In addition to working well together as a team, repeated, successful tee shots also contributed to their victory in the long run as they managed to keep their score down.
“[I feel] happy about it because we played well,” Wyatt Townsend ‘27 said. “We didn’t make a lot of mistakes.”
The first boys team started at hole 1a and ended the tournament with a score of +21, putting them in second place. During the second half of the tournament, they completed two holes even par and two holes under. Finally, the third boys team began at hole 18a and finished in third place with a score of +38. Meanwhile, the second girls team ended the game in second place with a score of +58, three points away from tying for first with Weiss. The team’s performance improved during the second half of the tournament after they received encouragement and snacks from the coaches. This boost in energy led them to complete all of their holes no more than four over par.
“We started off a little bit rocky in the beginning, but towards the end, we figured out how to get into our role,” Jordyn Choe ‘27 said. “We started doing better, improving as we kept on going and bringing each other up the whole time. Getting Chick-fil-A definitely got us up and rolling.”
The first girls team also ended with a score of +58 to tie with the second girl’s team, which put them in third. A combination of hot weather in the afternoon and exhaustion from walking across the course affected the team’s performance toward the end of the tournament which eventually dropped their placement.
“[The tournament] had its ups and downs throughout,” Shruthi Srikanth ‘25 said. “There were some holes that we did had a really good streak on, and some holes that we did not so great on. [For] the good holes, we were all in a good mood and it wasn’t too hot, and the bad holes were when we started getting really tired, especially towards the back nine.”
Due to the structure of the tournament, the golfers were grouped into teams of four and played the holes with their teammates instead of with competitors from other schools. The normalcy of playing with friends, combined with encouragement from the coaches throughout, motivated the golfers to succeed throughout.
“Golf is an individual sport, but it’s also a team sport, because everyone’s counting on your score,” Head Coach Blake Boyett said. “[The golfers] have to find that challenge within themselves, but also have to help the team.”
After completing the last tournament of the semester, the golfers were tired but satisfied with their performance overall.
“They played really good today,” Coach Boyett said. “They came out and they played well at their own course. They have been practicing real hard, putting in the work out here. [They have been practicing] their short game — their wedges, their irons, and their putting — so that’s been helping, especially for this tournament.”
Golf will compete next semester, once the schedule is complete.
