Junior Sam Renschler stood on the tee box on the first hole with a driver in his hand and a mixed set of emotions bubbling in his chest. He was annoyed, due to the rain which would end up plugging, or keeping his ball from rolling, for his tee shots. He was also a bit anxious, as he was about to set off on a match that could either bring his team to another victory or ruin their season’s spotless record.
“I played decent [but] could have been a lot better. My first couple of opening holes were a little bit rough, but once the pace of play got going it was easier to get in a rhythm and play better,” Renschler said. “The first hole or two is always a little bit nervous and I didn’t get to take many full swings before the round. But after a few holes that all goes away and you start to gain confidence. Yet, you’re also thinking to yourself, ‘I only have so many bogeys to give [and still be able to] to shoot a good score.’”
After battling through the highs and lows, Renschler scored an 83. His score, combined with the scores of his teammates, put the RBHS team at a tie for first place with a total of 298. From there, RBHS and Chaminade High School (CHS), the tied team, determined the winner through a scorecard playoff. In this event, coaches look at each individual players’ scores and compare the scores of players with matching positions, or ones against ones. In the end, CHS players had better scores than RBHS players and claimed the tournament as their win.
The results of the match disappoint coach Austin Reed, as he knows each team member did their absolute best. Yet, he is happy that the match was a close one and that the RB boys gave other schools a tough challenge.
“[Scorecard playoffs] shows that we need all five of our guys to play as best as they can every time,” Reed said. “[I’m proud that] they are doing a great job focusing on their game and not worrying about how everyone else is playing and I want them to be proud of knowing what it takes to win and playing their hardest to accomplish that.”
A Putt to Remember
Finishing up on hole seven, junior Elliot Stauffer wipes his clubs off. The rain makes the grips of the clubs slippery, and, consequently, hard to hold onto. Though he had just played his best hole of the day, he was unhappy. He didn’t feel like he was leading the team to first place, rather, felt his game was lacking.
“I couldn’t hit fairways off the tee box, which is pretty important because it sets up your second shot which is usually an approach shot to the green,” Stauffer said. “Though, the seventh hole was my best because I made a really long putt. I felt like Chris Kyle in American Sniper, but instead of a gun I had a putter and instead of shooting a terrorist I sank a putt.”
Despite the unfortunate loss, Renschler and the team anticipate the rest of the season with a outlook of optimism. Their ultimate goal is still to win state, and these Bruins plan to practice hard to get there.
“[I’m excited to] play the other courses in Missouri I really like, hopefully making it to state and playing well the rest of the season,” Renschler said. “From today’s match, I learned to not let your opening holes determine how you play the rest of the round. Every shot counts, but having one bad slice or cut doesn’t mean you’ll have another. You have to stay positive.”
What do you think of the outcome of the match? Does scorecard playoff really pay off?
