GOLF SPORTS SHORTS 2011–
(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 Eagles schedule and statistics, check out their home page on linksplayers.com. The Eagles finished 6-7 overall and 4-0 in the West Sequoia League.

GOLF 2011

SEASON END

EAGLES’ SEASON ENDS AT AREA–May 9
After clinching the West Sequoia league title, the Eagles traveled to Madera Municipal for their third time at the North Area Tournament, May 9. However, with Clovis North in their division, who shot 380, FC fell short and lost, not qualifying for Valley.

FC’s top three players, Jeff Roseth, ’12, shot 81, Tyler Zaentz, ’12, shot 82 and Tim DeGroot, ’11, shot 84, were able to finish their round, but the bottom three only finished the front nine due to weather storms.

“The season ended with a wild flurry of wind and the severe threat of thunder and lightning at the North Area Tournament,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “Our first three players finished, but the last three did not because of the dangerous conditions and the already determined results. Clovis North was the D2 champion, shooting 380, and we were headed for something in the 460 range.”

Roseth says that they had a decent season, but a little dicsouragaing as in the past two season the Eagles made it two valley and even to regionals.

“This year was good, I mean we always like going to valley like the last two years and it was kind of disappointing to not get past Area,” Roseth said. “We knew though that we weren’t going to get past Area because Clovis North is in our division now.”

For DeGroot, this was his lowest score at Area in his career, says throughout this season he has leaned many things and improved in numerous areas.

“I actually learned to love the game more and take it more seriously than just going out there and playing,” DeGroot said. “I took it more serious in that, ‘I have to make this shot’ or ‘I have to land on the green right here’.”

EAGLES TOP LEAGUE COMPETITION–May 4
At the final league match at the Madera Municipal Golf Course, FC led the field with a season low score of 429 to beat the rest of the schools and earn the teams fourth consecutive championship, May 4. On the individual side, junior Jeff Roseth birdied the final three holes to defeat junior Tyler Zaentz by three shots overall to take the individual championship, 143-146.

Coming into the match, Roseth had a two shot lead, 142, over Zaentz, 144, as par is 143. Throughout the match the lead alternated between both of them as they each had to make difficult shots. Roseth made eagle on the seventh by holing a 100 yard wedge shot and Zaentz drained a 90 foot putt on the ninth for birdie.

“It was pretty big because at that point Jeff had a big lead and I thought I was going to three putt,” Zaentz said. “But I ended up making it and it gave me momentum to put a few good holes together and make it a close match.”

As Zaentz took the individual title last season, Roseth says he was very pleased to finally win.

“It was really exciting and it came down to the wire, neck and neck, just as it should have been,” Roseth said. “I had a two shot lead going in and I knew Tyler would come out and play well which he did. He stumbled a little bit, but it happens.”

In taking to top spot in league, the Eagles will move on to area where they won the last two seasons. Head coach Jeff Hopper says though that with Clovis North in their division things become much more difficult.

“Clovis North was moved to Division 2 this season, and they are one of the best teams in the Section, so we do not anticipate defending our last two Area-championship seasons,” Hopper said. “But we do have some goals to beat teams that bettered us in dual matches earlier this year, including Reedley and Kerman.”

The Eagles will next compete at the North Area Tournament at Madera Municipal Golf Course, May 9.

YOSEMITE SQUEZZES BY EAGLES–April 28
For a break in the West Sequoia League matches, FC went to the Yosemite Badger’s home course, Sierra Meadows Country Club, to compete in an 18 hole Match Play/Stroke Play Combination where FC lost 28-20, April 28.

The match was close until the last few holes where No. 6 player Tanner McKeand, ’14, who ended up shooting 130, fell behind to Yosemite’s Eddie Nixon, ’14. Almost all of the Eagles’ squad struggled as the lowest score belonged to Tyler Zaentz, ’12, shot 79, to scores as high as Alex Campama’s, ’11, 111 and McKeand’s 130.

“The weather and the setting were gorgeous, but the golf was not–for either side,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “All of our guys struggled on this mountain course at Sierra Meadows. Still, the match came down to the end, and but for some late turns in the No. 6 match between Tanner and Eddie Nixon, this could have been a flat-footed tie overall.”

The Eagles will compete in the next WSL Tournament at Madera Municipal Golf Course, May 4.

LOW SCORES LEAD EAGLES TO WIN–April 12
At the Lemoore Golf Course, FC carried the momentum from the previous day as they topped their previous score of 221, to trim it down to 215 and win the match, April 12.

Besides a two under by Jeff Roseth, ’12, 35, the score of the day belonged to Tanner McKeand, ’14, who shot 48, a personal record. McKeand says he found a tip in Golf Digest magazine which aided him on his drives.

“I wasn’t even feeling that good because I kinda had a little cold, but I went out anyways,” McKeand said. “I saw an article in Golf Digest the previous day and I saw something about choking down on the club and that seemed to help me. I don’t know if it was luck or me just changing that, but my drives were spot on.”

In team points, the Eagles lead over Dos Palos, 30-22, which is enough to clinch the league title. So, the competition for individual champion on FC’s squad is between their top three players. Roseth holds a 71 after 18 holes, Tyler Zaentz, ’12, 73, and Tim DeGroot, ’11, 89.

“Tyler clipped Jeff by one last season to be league champ, and it?s the same two guys going at it again this year,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “In a way it?s a shame because they really are each others biggest supporters and fans, and it?s no good that one of them has to lose. Meanwhile, Tim holds the third spot at 89, with a couple of players right behind him at 90 and 91.”

The Eagles will next play Yosemite at Sierra Meadows Country Club, April 28.

FC CONTINUES LEAGUE WINNING STREAK–April 11
The whole Eagle squad posted some of their lowest scores all season at Sunnyside, resulting in a small team score, 221, to win, April 11. FC was ahead of their competition by a landslide, with a comfortable lead of 46 shots at the end of the day; the closest score was held by Riverdale, 267.

At Fresno West, Jeff Roseth, ’12, shot 41, April 6, but was able to turn it around to an even-par, 36, at Sunnyside. Tyler Zaentz, ’12, also shot 36 as both he and Roseth led their team.

“This was the truest home course advantage we have all year, and Jeff and Tyler really seized that advantage, both shooting even-par nines,” head coach Jeff Hopper said. “I know they have both been thinking they could be a little stronger than they have been, and today was great for both guys. When they take the lead like this, we have a good shot at reaching our goals.”

The highlight on the day according to Hopper was their team score of 221. Hopper says they were able to reach their goal that they had been aiming for all season.

“Our team goal for this year is a score of 225 on a par-36 nine,” Hopper said. “The 221 today was especially good on this tough course, requiring scores at or below average for all our guys–and yes, every player posted a score below his average today.”

The Eagles will next play at Lemoore for the next WSL match, April 12.

EAGLES PLAY FRESNO WEST COURSE TO WIN MATCH–April 6
After a quick turnaround from their first match, FC traveled to Fresno West Golf Course as they prevailed over their opponents with 84 points, April 6.

Thee boys played a W.S.L. mini tournament, beating Dos Palos (72), Riverdale (60), Parlier (59) and Fowler (54). Stableford points in parentheses.

Junior Jeff Roseth took over for junior Tyler Zaentz in this match, to take the lowest score for FC, shooting 41. Roseth says even though they still won the match, he was disappointed he did not reach par as he seemed to run into trouble all day on the course.

“I was hoping for right around par, 36, 37, 35, would have been reasonable, but instead I hit 41 which was just bad,” Roseth said. “It was just kind of consistently bad, it wasn’t one major blow up hole. It was just kind of good, then okay, missed a put here, missed a shot there, it was all spread out through the round.”

Head coach Jeff Hoppper says he was encouraged by Josh Hopper’s, ’12, performance, shot 52, as Josh continues to improve and adding up the birdies.

“Josh Hopper continued his remarkable birdie stat,” Hopper said. “He now has three birdies on the season, though only one par. He is becoming the king of the par-3s. His birdie today helped him tie for third on the team in points.”

Roseth says overall as a team they had an average outing, but since they clinched the win that is all that mattered.

“We played okay, not our best, we definitely can do better than what we showed at Fresno West,” Roseth said. “We won; we did what we needed to get done though.”

The Eagles will next play at Sunnyside for the next WSL match, April 11.

FC DEFEATS OPPONENTS IN FIRST LEAGUE MATCH–April 5
In the first West Sequoia League match of the season, the Eagles played at Airways Golf Course against, Dos Palos, Fowler, Riverdale and Tranquillity, April 5. The match was played in a Stableford format and FC won with 95 points.

The Eagles were up on their competition by 34 points as Dos Palos and Fowler followed with 61, Riverdale 58 and Parlier 34. Tyler Zaentz, ’12, led, shooting 37 and Tim DeGroot, ’11, set a new personal record by shooting a 37.

“I played the best round of golf I’ve ever played in my life yesterday,” DeGroot said. “The day before I shot a 43 and then when I got out there I had the mindset that I’m gonna do good since Jeff [Roseth, ’12,] wasn’t playing. I started out with par, bogey, followed by three more pars and then on the ninth ended with a chip-in birdie.”

According to head coach Jeff Hopper, his team’s score surprised him somewhat, but is unsure of how they will do today at their second WSL match, April 6.

“We certainly did not expect to have a showing this far out in front of the other schools,” Hopper said. “Dos Palos has been playing far better than this, and they did not have their best stuff today. With such a quick turnaround to tomorrow [April 6], it will be interesting to see what transpires in the short-term.”

The Eagles will next compete at Fresno West for the next WSL match, April 6.

BULLARD OUSTS FC–March 31
At the last preseason match, the Eagles played Bullard at the Madera Municipal Golf Course in Stableford format, March 31. Bullard earned the most points to win 390-209.

FC was led by juniors Tyler Zaentz and Jeff Roseth who shot 76 (65 points). Bringing up the bottom was Josh Hopper, ’12, shooting a 110 (13). Hopper shot 53 on the front nine and 57 on the back, ranking as some of his best scores.

“My individual scores on the front and back are good scores for me especially for 18 holes,” Hopper said. “I was able to not shoot anything worse than triple bogey which is usually what makes my scores stay low, so that was good.”

Bullard is the defending Division I champion and head coach Jeff Hopper says it was obvious they had earned this title.

“Bullard, the defending D1 Section champ, remains one of the best teams in the Valley,” Jeff said. “Tyler and Jeffrey hung with their top players, but after that we were severely mismatched. A lot of challenges out there–first 18-hole individual round for the season, first hot day, long rough, sanded greens, but apart from the putting struggles most everybody had, we played well.”

The Eagles will next open up the West Sequoia League at Airways, April 5.

CENTRAL VALLEY CHRISTIAN BESTS EAGLES–March 22
The Eagles traveled to take on the Central Valley Christian Cavaliers once again at Sunnyside Golf Course. In their previous match, FC came up short 206-233 and this time, hoped to narrow the gap, but ended up losing 216-242, March 22.

Prior to the match, Zach Ragan, ’11, had his eyes set on either the high 40’s or low 50’s, but ran into trouble on the course.

“I was a mess out there and I couldn’t meet my goal,” Ragan said. “I played a lot worse than I ever have. I think I was trying to push myself and focusing more on trying to get a low score than just doing the best I could.”

Head coach Jeff Hopper says he feels confident in the leadership of Tyler Zaentz, ’12, and Jeff Roseth, ’12, his top two players, but also anticipates the moment when the rest of the team will break the ice and tack on low scores.

“Tyler continues to lead the way, with consistency of scoring,” Hopper said. “But as in past years, Jeff is really right there with him, and we can proceed with confidence with these guys out front. But because I feel like a couple of our other guys are on the verge of breakthrough, I am hoping to see them eat of the fruits of their practice soon.”

Hopper says this “breakthrough” will possibly occur at their next match against Bullard.

“When that happens, we should be able to push up against our 9-hole scoring goal of 225,” Hopper said. “This may even take place next week at Madera Municipal, which can be a forgiving golf course if you move your ball up around the greens and keep positioning yourself for pars and bogeys.”

The Eagles will next travel to play Bullard at Madera Municipal Golf Course, March 31.

FC LOSES TO CENTRAL VALLEY CHRISTIAN–March 15
The Eagles traveled to Valley Oaks Golf Course to face off against the Central Valley Christian Cavaliers. Despite the return of basketball players Tim DeGroot, ’11, who shot 47, and Alex Campama, ’11, who shot 54, FC still fell short, 206-233, March 15.

Although the Eagles lost, this is their lowest score yet this season. Junior Jeff Roseth, who shot 37, says it was encouraging to add new players and put up 233.

“Both Tim and Alex came out and played really good for their first time out in competition this year,” Roseth said. “That’s our best total we’ve had this season, but hopefully we’ll continue to improve and shoot even lower scores this season. There’s still room for improvement, but it wasn’t too bad.”

Junior Tyler Zaentz shot his worst competitive score this season with a 38. This is the first time the Eagles’ top two players have lost to another school’s top players since their freshman year.

“We had them beat going into the last hole,” Zaentz said, “but Jeff had a freak lost ball incident and I ran into trouble so they ended up beating us by one.”

DeGroot had one day of practice before this match and both days he shot 47; he says this is promising since he still has time to lower his score.

I came out and I thought I was going to do worse, but I ended up with a 47 and I was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to do good this year’,” DeGroot said. “I was wishing it would be lower, but it’s only the second day and it actually gave me a lot of encouragement. By shooting a 47 I also have room to improve and get better.”

The Eagles will next travel to play Central Valley Christian and Sunnyside, March 22.

FC WINS FIRST MATCH OF SEASON–March 8
The Eagles traveled to Riverside Golf Course for their first home match and they finished on top with a win over the Yosemite Badgers, 7-1/2 to 3-1/2, March 8.

The match was played in the Ryder Cup format, where they first competed in alternate shot, best-ball and finally individual matches.

From the get-go, FC pushed ahead and earned their first two points in the alternate shot as Tyler Zaentz, ’12, and Jeff Roseth, ’12, and Zach Ragan, ’11, and Josh Hopper, ’12, defeated their opponents.

In the best-ball, Zaentz knocked a hole in one on a 178-yard hole to secure the victory. This is his second hole in one of his career and says it was definitely nice to put it in in the face of pressure.

“Once I hit it, I thought it had a good chance of going in the whole way, and it did,” Zaentz said. “Also, I had a good size gallery watching my group and it was especially cool because I did it in a tight match where everything was on the line and I came through big time. I actually saw this one fall in. It was a thrill but initially I was in shock it dropped in.”

Zaentz’ first hole-in-one came last April at Sunnyside Country Club.

Head coach Jeff Hopper says another highlight of the day belonged to Hopper who sank his first birdie of the year, but ironically, still has not made a par.

“Tyler?s hole-in-one was a first for the team in the program?s five years,” Jeff said.

Another highlight was Hopper’s birdie. This was the first of the season for him and came before he ever made a par.

“Josh hit it to within one foot, and he became the first Eagle golfer to record his first birdie before his first par. Josh is still waiting for his first par since joining the team this year as a junior.”

The Eagles will next travel to play Central Valley Christian at Valley Oaks, March 15.

EAGLES COME UP SHORT AT REEDLEY–March 3
The Eagles traveled to the Ridge Creek Golf Course to take on the Reedley Pirates and lost 224-265, March 3.

FC was led by Tyler Zaentz, ’12, who finished the day with 35 and closely followed by Jeff Roseth, ’12, 39. Freshman Tanner McKeand was hoping for a 60, but bad shots plagued him from his second shot as he ended up scoring 73.

“I just wanted to be able to play around 60 and keep the ball on the fairway,” McKeand said. “However, I ended up in multiple sand traps, thick grass and even on the wrong hole. I used to get really down on myself and mad, but this year I’ve completely changed it around and learned to just take my time, focus on the next shot and try to turn it around.”

Head coach Jeff Hopper says he was uncertain of Reedley’s capabilities, but after the first few holes, the Pirates pulled ahead.

“This was our first time playing Reedley, so we weren?t sure of the strength of the competition,” Hopper said. “We were stronger in our first couple of scores, but our lower guys struggled with the hazards and they came back to beat us rather easily.”

The Eagles will next play Yosemite at Riverside, March 8.

FC PLAYS IN IRONMAN SCRAMBLE–Feb. 28
The Eagles traveled to Eagle Springs with their top four players to compete in the Ironman Scramble Event. FC shot 64 to take fifth place overall and Central Valley Chirstian took first with a score of 58, Feb. 28.

Since the match was played in Scramble format, juniors Tyler Zaentz and Jeff Roseth and seniors Zach Ragan and Tim Degroot, all combined to play on each hole as they each play the best ball shot.

Head coach Jeff Hopper says that he is pleased with their fifth place finish and their four shot lead over Kerman.

“Each player made helpful contributions, and the guys made eight birdies altogether,” Hopper said. “I know it was pleasing to the guys to finish four shots ahead of Kerman, who beat us in a tune-up match last week.”

Hopper also says he anticipates the arrival of seasoned players Tim Degroot, ’11, and Alex Campama, ’11, who are currently involved in basketball, but meanwhile has seen improvement among his first year players.

“While we are still waiting for the full involvement of a couple of our experienced guys, Tim and Alex, I have been pleased to see the newer players really working at their games,” Hopper said. “I think it won?t be long before we see some very helpful contributions from Josh [Hopper, ’12] and Tanner [McKeand, ’14], in addition to what Zach is already doing for us.”

The Eagles will next travel to play Reedley at Ridge Creek, March 3.

KERMAN OUSTS EAGLES IN OPENING MATCH–Feb. 24
For the Eagles first match of the year, they competed against the Kerman Lions at the Fresno West Golf Course. Despite low scores by juniors Jeff Roseth, 37, and Tyler Zaentz, 38, FC still fell behind, losing 226-245, Feb. 24.

Zaentz says he is not overly worried about the result of the match because they still have time to improve and lower their scores.

“We have a pretty inexperienced team and Tim’s [Degroot, ’11,] gone for basketball,” Zaentz said. “But Zach [Ragan, ’11] did really well, he shot under his average [shot 48]. Both Jeff and I could have done two or three better, but it really wouldn’t of mattered. If our five and six players [Josh Hopper, ’12, and Tanner McKeand, ’14] get more comfortable playing competitive rounds, we’ll be okay.”

The Eagles will next participate in the Ironman Tournament at Eagle Springs on Feb. 28.

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