MARBLEHEAD — There was beautiful weather and some beautiful swings at Tedesco Country Club, the course that saw Marblehead square off against Swampscott in the High School Tedesco Cup. The Magicians took down the Big Blue, 47-25.
The highlight of the day came from the first group at hole seven. One of the toughest par 3s in the area that demands accuracy from the tee box saw all four players sticking the green on their tee shots.
Jason Bouffard and Quinn Fitzpatrick (Swampscott) as well as Charlie Grenier and Simon Quicken (Marblehead) all landed from well over 220 yards.
“That’s probably one of the toughest holes to play. To have four kids on that green all at once and end up with three pars and a birdie was special,” Swampscott coach Ron Young said. “The crowd was into it and gave the kids a round of applause. Fortunately, my number one (Bouffard) birdied it.”
Marblehead coach Bob Green called it “remarkable.”
“It’s very impressive. The thing is: they were all good shots. There weren’t any that were barely on the green or 55 feet away. They all had legitimate looks at birdie,” Green said. “That’s unusual at any level. You could have the State Open here and you wouldn’t have the whole group land on the green where they did. It’s a hard hole. It’s one of the hardest par 3s in Eastern Massachusetts.”
Young, who is in his second year as coach, has been enjoying his team’s progress.
“I love my players and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. We tried, they battled, and even if they’re down, they’ll always push to try and make it competitive,” he said. “The kids are so great with their attitude. We have fun on the bus trips to the courses, and the kids are all friends amongst each other and rooting for each other. It just makes for a pleasurable year, coaching-wise.”
Green was pleased with his team’s overall performance after seven victories across eight matches.
“It went well today. I think we had six guys shoot in the 30s [and] my number two shot one under,” Green said. “Two of my players shot in the 40s and then the rest shot a 38 or below, so that’s pretty good.”
“Everyone played well. Simon (Quicken) shot a 33 (one under par) and that’s a very good score. This is a hard golf course with tough greens,” Green said.
Young praised Marblehead and complemented its talent.
“Golf is a funny game where you can go out and golf really well and still not win. That’s just part of the game and that’s what makes golf so great,” Young said. “Marblehead has a really good team. Their top four probably could be any team’s number one. They’ve got a great coach, too.”
Despite the rivalry, there was respect shown throughout the round.
“It’s a rivalry between the two towns, but there’s camaraderie here, too,” Young said. “They’ll be talking to one another and they get along. It’s not like a football game – that’s for sure.”
Marblehead’s next match is Wednesday against Saugus, while Swampscott plays on Thursday against Masco.
