LYNN — The Lynn Classical golf team braved the elements and came out on top Thursday afternoon, notching a 44-28 win over Winthrop in a non-conference battle at Gannon Golf Course. With the win, the Rams have now started the shortened season off with four straight victories.
“I’m really happy with the start we’ve gotten off to this year,” said Classical coach Jack Morrison. “We have a lot of new players in the lineup this year and they’ve responded really well early on. There’s obviously still plenty we have to work on, but it’s been a great start.”
Classical’s depth came through in the clutch in this match, as the bottom half of the lineup all won their respective matches down the stretch. The Rams got wins from Matthew Patrie (5 1/2-3 1/2), Ryan Dugan (5-4), Patrick McHale (6 1/2-2 1/2), Steven Downey (8 1/2-1/2) and Ethan Wilson (8-1), while Daniel Finnigan tied his match (4 1/2-4 1/2).
“Our depth really won this match for us,” said Morrison. “You tend to rely on your top guys to score well and contribute, but when you have the entire bottom half of the lineup come away with wins, that’s a huge boost.”
Winthrop’s wins came from Evan Smotrich in the No. 1 spot (5 1/2-3 1/2) and Dan Liberti in the No. 4 spot (6 1/2-2 1/2).
One of the biggest factors that both teams had to contend with all match long was the wind, which blew relentlessly and gusted to over 20 miles per hour often.
“We’re always talking about playing smart in the wind and being aware of all of the elements around you,” said Morrison. “We like to say that the elements don’t affect us, they affect our opponents.”
Winthrop (1-1) now has a few days off before it hosts Somerville Tuesday afternoon (4) at Winthrop Golf Club.
Classical (4-0) has a quick turnaround with a match on the road at Revere Friday afternoon (4) at Cedar Glen Golf Course.
“We’re just trying to get better every day, so it’s always a work in progress,” said Morrison. “It would be great to close out this busy week with another win, but we’re going to have to clean up some things if we want to get that done.”
