LYNN– After a successful regular season, the Classical golf team is primed for a run in the Division 2 state tournament. But make no mistake, Rams coach Jack Morrison knows that the hard work is only just beginning for his team.
“In the tournament we’ll be going up against some very good teams,” said Morrison. “I’ve kind of been saying all year that we have to play our best every match to win, and now that becomes even more important. This is a big step up from us in terms of competition, and we’ve already played some really good teams this year. It will certainly be our toughest test of the season.”
The Rams have had a very strong year to this point, finishing the regular season with a 13-4 record and an 11-3 record in the competitive Northeastern Conference. Classical has benefitted from a strong group of senior leaders in Brendan Lannon, Brett Bucklin and Andrew Patrie, who just happen to be three of the top golfers in the Rams’ lineup.
“At the start of the year, I was really looking for leadership out of my top three seniors, and that’s exactly what I got,” said Morrison. “We have a really good team chemistry this year, and I think they really help with that.”
Add in the contributions from players like Tim Nerich, Jack Calnan and Brian Clougherty, among others, and the Rams boast a strong lineup from top to bottom.
As the focus shifts from regular season play to tournament play, Classical is dealing with a number of changes. The biggest change, however, is the format the Rams will be playing. The Division 2 state tournament is played in a stroke-play medal format, meaning every shot counts. The Rams have played nearly every match this year in a match-play format, which puts players in more of a one-on-one setting.
“That is definitely the biggest change for us, moving from match play to stroke play,” Morrison said. “Luckily, we’ve been in a position where we knew we’d most likely qualify for the tournament pretty early this year, so we’ve been able to focus on it in practice. We’ve also tried to focus on little things in matches like finishing out holes and focusing on the amount of strokes we take in order to start to get a feel for what it’ll be like playing in that stroke-play format.”
Another big factor in the upcoming tournament is the course where the tournament will be played, and it’s no walk in the park. The Division 2 North tournament will be played at Four Oaks Country Club in Dracut, a course that offers golfers several quirks and will require the Rams’ full attention.
“It’s a pretty challenging course, I’ve played there before and there are a few holes that can really creep up on you,” Morrison said. “There are several holes where it’s pretty easy to hit it out of bounds if you’re not careful, so we’ll have to be aware of things like that.”
Morrison says that the Rams will play a practice round at Four Oaks on Sunday to get a feel for the course before the tournament starts Tuesday morning (9).
“We’re certainly going to have to bring our A-game Tuesday, both because of the course we’re playing and because of the caliber of the teams we’ll be up against,” said Morrison. “Hopefully we can keep the nerves down, hit the ball well and have a good showing out there.”
