GOLF SPORTS SHORTS 2009–
(Latest golf shorts will be at the top of the section. Scroll down to check out past results. Tournament matches do not count toward win/loss record. Visit the Sports Section for golf features)

For the 2009 schedule, check out Highschoolsports.net. The Eagles finished the season at 13-2 overall and 6-0 in the West Sequoia League.

GOLF, 2009

Season end

FC COMES UP JUST SHORT AT VALLEY–May 18
The Eagles finished their season with a runner up finish to Bakersfield Christian in the Valley Team Championship at Belmont Country Club, May 19.

FC shot a season-worst 434 to fall short to Bakersfield Christian (430). Junior Spencer Lee and freshman Tyler Zaentz both shot 82s to lead the Eagles.

The Eagles finished the season at 13-2 overall and 6-0 in the West Sequoia League.

“Now we know what is required to win the Valley Championship,” Lee said. “Over the off-season we will only improve, and we’ll be back here next year to win it.”

FC WINS NORTH AREA DIVISION II TITLE–May 11
With their season on the line, the Eagles played just well enough to win the North Area Division II Championship, shooting 432, May 11.

The Yosemite Badgers gave FC all they could handle in attempting to defend their 2008 North Area Championship.

Freshman Tyler Zaentz shot 79 to lead the Eagles, while freshman Jeff Roseth finished with 82. Yosemite’s senior Albert Ayala and junior Joe Criswell both posted 80s to pace Yosemite.

“This was the ultimate in team golf,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “Based on the player’s averages, I would have expected not only a better score overall but different guys doing different things.”

With four players done with their rounds, the Badgers held a 10 stroke lead over FC. The focus shifted to the scores of the 2 bottom players in both team’s lineup.

Behind a birdie on the par-4 13th, sophomore Tim DeGroot made up 7 strokes for the Eagles on the back 9, pushing the 2 teams to an exact tie at 432. The tiebreaker went to the score of each team’s 6th man.

“In the end, it was about our lower guys, with an emphasis on Tim who fired his best score,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “This was a shot lower than last week, on a harder course under harder conditions. Plus he had his first birdie of the year!”

FC’s 6th score, a 101 posted by freshman Brian Kinghorn, edged Yosemite’s 109, and the Eagles will advance to the Valley Team Championship. 2008 runner-up Kerman finished in 3rd place with 453, behind an even-par 72 from senior Tim Toste.

“This season I’ve gotten a lot better, and this tournament proved that,” DeGroot said. “I shot the best score I have ever shot in my life, and next year will only be better.”

FC will next play in the Valley Team Championship, May 19 at Belmont Country Club.

EAGLES ACHIEVE NEW SEASON-LOW–May 4
In dominating fashion, the Eagles went out and shot 399 to defeat nearest competition Fowler by 57 strokes and successfully defend their West Sequoia League Championship, May 4.

“It’s hard to know where to start with a performance as strong as this,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “Every single guy had an excellent round according to his average, and each one did it over 18 holes, which require that much more focus.”

Freshman Tyler Zaentz led FC with 1-over 73, junior Spencer Lee finished with 74, and freshman Jeff Roseth contributed 75 at Madera Municipal in ideal playing conditions.

FC shot a season-best 194 on the back nine ? their best score of the season and the lowest nine holes in school history.

The threesome each opened with front-side 37s and held it together on the back with consistent play. Zaentz closed with back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 to finish second for the round behind Clovis Christian senior Micah DiFalco’s 71.

Junior Clark Jacobson shot a season-best 86, while sophomore Tim DeGroot and freshman Brian Kinghorn each shot below their averages in posting 91.

Fowler senior Matt Gorella won the League Individual Championship with scores of 36-74 for a total of 110. Zaentz and DiFalco finished 1 stroke behind in a tie for 2nd at 111.

Roseth and Lee took 4th and 5th with 112 and 115 respectively, while Fowler senior Christian Gonzalez shot 75 to finish 6th at 117.

FC will now shift their focus to the North Area Tournament, contested, May 11 at Madera Municipal. The Eagles’ main competition is the Yosemite Badgers, the North Sequoia League Champions and defending Valley Champs.

“Now our attention goes to our ‘next level’ goal, which is to win the North Area Championship for Division 2 schools,” Hopper said. “To do that, we will have to defeat Yosemite, and we know they will be ready. If we can stay steady this week, we should be in solid shape for Monday.”

EAGLES TIE SEASON-LOW; DEFEAT BADGERS–April 23
From beginning to end, FC’s 201-205 victory over Yosemite was a battle, April 23.

In a rematch of their March 5 match at Sierra Meadows Golf Course (won by FC 221-222), the two teams competed at the Eagles’ home course, Riverside.

The tone of the match was set early on when Badger’s senior Albert Ayala striped the opening drive straight down the 1st fairway, and Eagle’s freshman Tyler Zaentz answered with a nearly identical drive.

This was a special match because we equaled our best score ever,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “Basically it required that of us in order to win.”

For the Eagles, freshman Jeff Roseth shot 34, Zaentz 37, and junior Spencer Lee 38 to push the team’s record to 11-1 overall. Yosemite got a 34 from Ayala and a 39 from junior Joe Criswell.

Ayala and Roseth earned co-medalist honors despite making double bogey on the 1st and 2nd holes respectively. However each player rebounded with 3 birdies in the remaining 7 holes.

“Now we turn our attention to the League Championship Tournament and the North Area Championship,” Hopper said. “Our goal this year is to move past Area into the Section Championship, and we know now that this is something we can do if we play well and out-duel Yosemite again.”

FC will next play in the West Sequoia League 18-hole Tournament, May 4.

FC DOMINATES IN LEAGUE TOURNAMENT–April 21
As they did in the West Sequoia League regular season, the Eagles ran away from the other schools shooting 207 to claim the 1st leg of the league Championship at Lemoore Golf Course, April 21.

“Basically every guy came through with good scoring, according to what they have been doing this season,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “This was the one league event we did not win last season so it was nice to go to Lemoore and show that we could put together a very solid score on that front nine.”

Led by freshman Jeff Roseth’s 37, FC posted their season-low on a par-36 and defeated nearest opposition, Fowler, by 21 strokes. Roseth, the Ealges’ no. 2 player, opened with 8 straight pars before dropping a stroke with bogey on his final hole, the par-3 4th.

Fowler senior Matt Gorella shot even-par 36 to take the lead in the individual championship with Roseth trailing by 1, and freshman Tyler Zaentz by 2 following his 38. Though Zaentz’s round included only 1 par, he secured 3 birdies and managed to keep it around par despite not playing his best.

Defending champion, senior Micah DiFalco of Clovis Christian played the par 5’s a combined 3 over par and was at 4-over 40, while junior Spencer Lee finished up at 5-over 41.

FC will next tee it up against Yosemite in a rematch of their March 5 battle in which the Eagles pulled out a 1 stroke victory. The Eagles and Badgers are currently the top two teams in the North Area’s Division II.

FC will take on Yosemite at Riverside Golf Course, April 23, 2 p.m.

BULLARD OUT-PLAYS EAGLES–April 2
In a battle against the toughest team on their schedule, FC came up short, falling to Bullard 193-214, for their 1st loss of the season, April 2.

The Knights were led by senior Rhett Kilgore’s 2-under 33 and freshman Michael Tolladay’s 36. FC received a season-best even-par 35 from freshman Tyler Zaentz and 39 from freshman Jeff Roseth.

“We knew going in that we could play our very best today and still get beat,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “We did not play our best, but we did not play too poorly ? certainly good enough to hold our own against any team in our division. But Bullard is the next step up, and they showed it today.”

Zaentz played the challenging first 5 holes in 2-over par, but proceeded to birdie 2 of the final 4 holes to get his number. He also stretched his season par total to a team-leading 105.

With spring break right around the corner, followed by an off-week, the Eagles won’t tee it up in competition again until April 21 at Lemoore Golf Course.

FC will next play in the West Sequoia League Mini Tournament, April 21, 2 p.m.

FC TOO TOUGH FOR PATRIOTS–March 31
In an unusual match/stroke play duel with Hoover, FC also won all 5 individual matches, and won 4 1/2 points out of 5 in stroke play matches to defeat the Patriots, 8 1/2 to 1/2.

The Eagles also shot a school-record 201, while Hoover finished at 240. The 3rd-year FC golf program has progressed from averaging 261 in ’07 to 234 in ’08, and is currently averaging 212 for the ’09 season.

“This was a school record score, just a couple of shots off our big goal of breaking 200,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “Our strength today was our balance. We had no score lower than 39 but nothing higher than 43.”

Junior Spencer Lee and freshman Jeff Roseth both shot 39s to lead their team to it’s 9th consecutive victory of the season. Coming in at 40 were junior Clark Jacobson, and freshman Tyler Zaentz.

“It was a good round for me because I was striking the ball well,” Jacobson said. “I didn’t have any kinks in my swing and everything was flowing the way it should.”

With both Lee and Zaentz’s matches all-square through 8 holes, a pressure-packed closing hole awaited. However, both players produced pars to each defeat their individual opponents 1-up.

“Hoover’s top players challenged us, but the final hole turned both matches in our favor,” Hopper said. “As their opponents struggled at the ninth. The rest of the points were more easily won by the strong play of the rest of our team.”

Sophomore Tim DeGroot posted a career-low 43 to help FC achieve their best score of the season.

“Big props for Tim who had his best career nine, and also Clark who came in with his season-low,” Hopper said. “These guys practiced their short games a lot on Monday and it sure paid off today.”

Next on the schedule for the Eagles is a non-league matchup with Division 1 Bullard, at Riverside Golf Couse, which the teams share as a home course. With the Knights regularly posting scores in the 190s, it will likely take FC’s best performance to win.

“To beat Bullard, everyone is gonna have to go low,” Jacobson said.

FC will take on the Knights, April 2, 2:30 p.m.

EAGLES OUT-GRIND SIERRA IN WINDY CONDITIONS–March 26
In breezy weather, FC shot 221 to defeat visiting Sierra’s 247 at Riverside Golf Course, March 26.

The Eagles tied their season-high score on a day where the wind influenced nearly every shot.

“This was a tough day for golf with the wind blowing as hard as it gets,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “This contributed to us shooting as high a score as we have all year, but you certainly have to know how to adjust to days like this if you’re going to improve. I was extremely pleased with their attitudes even though not everything was going well.”

Junior Spencer was the only player to break 40, shooting 2-over 37 to tie his season-low in competition.

“Spencer really showed his seasoned leadership today,” Hopper said. “He didn’t let his bogeys bother him and he made a super birdie at the last to finish off the day’s low round.”

Freshman Jeff Roseth posted 40 for FC, while Sierra’s Luke Harrelson came in at 42.

With his 3rd straight competitive scores in the 30’s, Lee moved into the no. 1 position on the team for the first time all season with a scoring average of 39.3. Freshmen Tyler Zaentz, and Jeff Roseth are tied for the no. 2 spot, as of March 26.

“Through eight competitive rounds now our top three guys are separated by a grand total of one stroke,” Hopper said. “This kind of internal competition coupled with excellent sportsmanship is what helps us develop as a team. Ironically the second three guys are also amazingly close in their competitive averages.”

Though battling sickness, sophomore Tim DeGroot shot his average of 48. With FC missing freshman Brian Kinghorn (for health reasons), DeGroot played to fill the 5 spot so his team could compete.

The win meant the Eagles remain undefeated, 8-0 overall, however stronger competition looms with Hoover and Bullard next on the schedule.

FC will next play against Hoover at Riverside Golf Couse, March 31, 2:30 p.m.

ROSETH-LED EAGLES SHOOT SEASON-LOW–March 24
Freshman Jeff Roseth posted 1-under 34 as FC coasted to a season-best 205 and a victory over visiting Riverdale (293) at Riverside Golf Course, March 24.

Overall 5 milestones were achieved: lowest team score, largest margin of victory (88 strokes), first time with 3 players in the 30s, low competitive round of the year, and top three players now averaging under 40 in competitive rounds.

Junior Spencer Lee shot 38 and freshman Tyler Zaentz 39 on a Riverside front-9 with punched and sanded greens.

“Those where the sandiest greens I’ve ever played on,” Lee said. “Before every putt I had to move eight to ten small pebbles out of my line. I am very happy with my round and how we played as a team today. Everyones’ starting to play well at the same time.”

Roseth, who shot 3-under 33 on the back-9 at Riverbend Golf Course over the weekend, came into the match brimming with confidence. He opened with a birdie on the par-4 1st hole and followed with 5 straight pars.

“I played good (over the weekend) at Riverbend and had some momentum going into this match,” Roseth said. “Today I started out with a birdie so I went into the next 3 tough holes with confidence. I played consistent, kept the ball in play, and putted very well.”

After a bogey on No. 7, he responded with an 8-iron to 6 feet for birdie on the 178-yard par-3 8th. He then concluded his day with an 8-foot par save on the final hole.

Lee birdied the no. 1 handicap 4th hole by hitting a pitching wedge to 10 feet to get back to 1-over par, however he made a couple of bogeys coming in.

Already at 4-over par through just 3 holes, Zaentz finished with 6 straight pars to break 40 and help FC make school history for the 2nd consecutive match.

FC equalled last season’s record at the same point by improving to a perfect 7-0 overall and finished 4-0 in the West Sequoia League.

“We were staring at our first chance to shoot below two-hundred,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “I think the guys know how far they can go now if they keep working to build consistency. Jeff won’t shoot 34 every day but the top three guys are capable of shooting a combined 111 regularly like they did today, and that puts us in great shape.”

EAGLES IMPROVE TO 6-0 AT MORRO BAY–March 17
For the first time in program history, FC shot multiple scores in the 30s as they finished with 217 to defeat West Sequoia League newcomer Coast Union (293) at Morro Bay Golf Course, March 17.

“This was a gorgeous day for golf on the coast,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “We enjoyed the trip together over to Morro Bay, and teed off under sunny skies with enough of a breeze to keep things cool. We knew from the outset that Coast’s players were pretty inexperienced, so our goal today was to shoot our best team score.”

Though FC did not reach its team record-low, 207, they produced several other highlights.

Junior Spencer Lee and freshman Jeff Roseth both fired 37s on the par-35 sea-side course. Roseth birdied the par-4 3rd hole, and had it 1-under through 5 until making a couple of 3-putt bogeys on holes 6 and 9.

Lee made a couple of 8-foot par saves on holes 5 and 7 to stay near par. Then after 3-putting the par-3 8th hole for bogey, he rebounded with a birdie on the difficult par-4 9th by holing a 25-footer.

Freshman Tyler Zaentz came in at 6-over 41 for the Eagles, sophomore Tim DeGroot shot 48 and junior Clark Jacobson, 54.

Despite the 76-stroke victory, the excitement was sparse due to the dehydration of freshman Brian Kinghorn. After completing 7 holes, Kinghorn had to be carted back to the club house for rest and fluids.

However, he regained his strength and was not taken to a hospital. Kinghorn is scheduled for a doctor’s appointment this week.

After a week on the road, the Eagles will be at their home course, Riverside Golf Course, for the next 4 matches. With the confidence that comes with home course advantage, they hope to break 207, for 9 holes, in the near future.

FC VICTORIOUS IN MATCH PLAY BATTLE–March 12
In the Eagles’ first experience with match play, the team played well enough to defeat Sierra, 4 matches to 2 at Brighton Crest Golf Course, March 12.

In the matchup of No. 1 players, freshman Tyler Zaentz defeated Chieftain’s senior Luke Harrelson, 3 and 2, by making 8 pars and a birdie. Junior Spencer Lee birdied the opening hole and won his match 4 and 3, junior Clark Jacobson won 5 and 4, and sophomore Tim DeGroot won 5 and 3 to cement the margin for FC.

“This was an odd day because the [Sierra] coach told us he wanted to play match play,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “That can be a real adjustment when you are used to stroke play, but our top guys, Tyler and Spencer, handled it very well, both winning their matches. With easy wins in the last two spots, we secured the match.”

Freshman Jeff Roseth was 1-down to his opponent through 6 holes, but watched Sierra’s No. 3 make back-to-back birdies to defeat him, 3 and 1.

“I didn’t play one of my better rounds but I managed to beat my opponent after 5 holes so that was good,” Jacobson said. “For the next round I just hope to go out there and hit the ball solidly.”

EAGLES’ BOTTOM PLAYERS PRODUCE IN WIN–March 10
With every player shooting at or below his average, FC shot 207 to earn a comfortable victory over the Fowler Redcats (256), March 10.

Freshman Tyler Zaentz led the team with 39, and junior Spencer Lee and freshman Jeff Roseth added 40s as FC won by 49 strokes ? their largest margin of the year. Senior Matt Gorella shot 38 to lead Fowler, while senior Christain Gonzalez tied Zaentz with 39.

“This was maybe the most compelling match we will have all year for the first two slots with Tyler and Spencer going head-to-head with Matt and Christian,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “Tyler had a great round going until he had a freak lost ball on the seventh hole. That cost him two shots, and the Fowler pair ended up that many shots ahead in the first group.”

The lost ball Hopper referred to occurred when Zaentz’s tee shot on the par-4 7th found a fairway bunker, but was not found anywhere in the sand.

Though the Eagles played Fowler’s top players nearly even, it was in the bottom half of their lineup that the match was won. The Eagles’ other counting scores included a season-low 43 from junior Clark Jacobson and a season-low 45 from freshman Brian Kinghorn. In all, FC’s No. 3-5 players picked up 51 shots on their opponents.

“Best of all was that today’s round set a team record low,” Hopper said. “I know we can anticipate going even lower as the season goes on but this is a super round that we know will carry us a long way if we can grow consistent at this number.”

The Eagles remained undefeated at 4-0 for the season and improved to 2-0 in the West Sequoia league. Next on the schedule are: Sierra playing out of Brighton Crest Golf Course (Friant, CA) and Coast Union playing out of Morro Bay Golf Course (Morro Bay, CA).

“With the little experience that our team has on the next few courses, we will need to step it up,” Lee said. “If we can get through this little tough stretch we will be back on our home course [Riverside] where we are comfortable for two straight weeks. I think the next two matches will really test how far we’ve come as a team.”

UPDATE: Junior Spencer Lee scored his first ever hole-in-one on the 6th hole at (9-hole par-3 course) Riverpark Golf Center during a team practice round, March 2.

For the round, Lee finished at 1 over par for a score of 28.

EAGLES PREVAIL IN THE MOUNTAINS–March 5
Despite sloppy play at a soggy Sierra Meadow coure, FC managed to escape with a 221-222 victory over defending Valley champion Yosemite, March 5.

For the first time all season, FC failed to put any player in the 30s for the day. Freshman Tyler Zaentz shot 40, junior Spencer Lee 41 and freshman Jeff Roseth 41.

“This was a challenging match against the defending Valley champions,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “We wanted to find out if we would be able to hang with them come tournament time at the end of the season, and it looks like we can.”

Zaentz finished 4-over par, despite a triple-bogey 6 on the par-3 6th, by making 7 pars on the day. The first-year Eagle No. 1 leads the squad in pars for the season with 51.

“This is such an easy course that it’s frustrating to shoot so high,” Zaentz said. “But we still beat the Valley champs on their home course.”

While FC’s scores were higher than the team anticipated, Hopper pointed to overall consistency as a plus.

“There were not a lot of personal highlights today with no one breaking 40,” Hopper said. “However, one of the keys to winning a team championship is consistency, and so far our guys are posting scores in a pretty narrow range, not ballooning up and down. I like to see that.”

FC SECURES COMFORTABLE WIN OVER BRONCOS–March 4
The Eagles came up with an all-around team effort, shooting 214 to defeat Dos Palos (246) at Madera Municipal Golf Course, March 4.

Freshman Jeff Roseth shot 39 to lead the Eagles to their second straight victory to open the season. Roseth’s round was highlighted by his play on the par-4 7th, a hole where he hit his ball into a canal.

“I played pretty good the whole round,” Roseth said. “I put myself in good position because I drove the ball well. I also putted well; when I missed the greens I still managed to make par. One of my highlights was when I made bogey even after I hit it out of bounds off the tee.”

After pulling his tee shot out-of-bounds left (on the 7th), he scrambled for 5, holing an uphill 15-footer to avoid a big score on the hole. Roseth called the score “the best bogey I’ve ever made.”

“It was nice to see Jeff take the lead today,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “He did this even with a ball out of bounds on the seventh hole, so he has to be pleased with the overall result. It is a great luxury to have three different guys who can be our medalist on any given day.”

Freshman Tyler Zaentz and junior Spencer Lee each recorded 41s, while sophomore Tim DeGroot notched a second consecutive season-low with 45.

“Overall we need to keep working on our putting,” Hopper said. “We also want to work on finishing holes, not losing shots right around the greens. This should come as the season progresses and everybody has had a little more playing time.”

The Eagles will next head up the mountain to attempt a conquest of the defending Valley champion Yosemite Badgers at Sierra Meadows golf course, March 5.

EAGLES CONTROL OPENING MATCH–Feb. 26
On a sunny day at Riverside Golf Course, FC produced its lowest combined score since the reinstatement of the golf program in ’07, shooting 213 to beat Kerman’s 237, Feb. 26.

FC out-lasted the Lions, last season’s North Area runner-up in the smaller schools division, in the bottom half of the line-up, according to head coach Jeff Hopper.

“I was pleased with the way our players in the ‘back half’ put solid nine-hole scores up,” Hopper said. “If those guys can consistently shoot in the mid to upper 40s, we will be solid. Today they did that.”

Freshman Tyler Zaentz led the Eagles with his lowest score of the season, a 1-over 36. Junior Spencer Lee carded 41 and freshman Jeff Roseth 42 to round out FC’s top three.

Kerman was led by senior Tim Toste’s 38; however, the other Lions whose scores counted averaged nearly 50 strokes per player.

After 3-putting the par-3 fifth, Zaentz rebounded with a birdie on 6 and went on the par the final 3 holes to attain his goal of beating Toste ? one of the valley’s top ranked juniors.

Sophomore Tim DeGroot also felt good about his day, as he shot a season-best 46, concluding with a par on the challenging par-5 ninth.

“I was excited to see a couple of guys reach their individual goals for the day,” Hopper said. “Tyler wanted to shoot a low round and beat Kerman?s top player, and he did that with an excellent 36. Also, Tim [DeGroot] was looking for his low round of the season, specifically a 46, and that?s exactly what he scored!”

With their first match and lowest score in hand, the Eagles will now look to break 210 for the first time in preparation for tournaments down the road.

“I think we will break 210 very soon,” Lee said. “With the talent on this team we could even shoot in the 190s. It will take everyone’s best effort, and it’s a great goal to challenge us.”