[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he boys’ golf team took home a first place finish April 17 against rival Chaminade. The match was at the Columbia Club of Missouri (CCMO) and featured both the varsity and junior varsity teams from each school.
The varsity team shot a combined score of 299 with freshman Sean Minor and senior Sam Rentschler each posting a top five score among individual players. Minor shot a 76 on the par 72 course, finishing four-over, while Rentschler shot a six-over par round of 78.
“I played pretty well overall,” Minor said. “I was pretty happy with my iron game throughout the day, and [also] made a couple clutch putts.”
While Minor says his round wasn’t poor, he still has some areas he needs to work on in order to get where he would like to be.
“I really need to fine tune my putting, [for] you can never be good enough at putting,” Minor said. “[Furthermore], another thing [to work on] is my course management. Just knowing what to hit off the tee [helps] give myself the best and most risk-free opportunity to make par. Once I get the course management down and start making some more putts, birdies will fall and the scores will drop, too.”
Rentschler, who is a four-year member of the team, put together a solid round himself. Rentschler experienced some of the same strengths and struggles as Minor during the match. Since Rentschler is a member at CCMO, he had little trouble getting the ball from the tee to the green. However, it was around the green where he seemed to have troubles.
“My putting needs the most work for sure,” Rentschler said. “You play different courses every week and the green speed changes every time. The thing I need to work on the most is making the speed adjustment”
While this part of the game keeps Rentschler locked in and focused, he also tries to remember to have fun and stay positive during the round. One of these fun aspects Rentschler thinks about is the friendly competition.
“The best part about being on the team is the competition amongst your friends,” Rentschler said. “It’s always fun to go out and see how you stack up against your buddies on different golf courses.”
Head coach Austin Reed is happy to hear that the members of the team are constantly trying to improve. Reed hopes this process of thinking helps provide momentum for the rest of the season.
“Sean [going] low was very impressive,” Reed said. “[During] the matches, I try to [keep] encouraging everyone.”
Reed holds high hope for the team in the future, as he knows the team is aggressively pursuing a state championship title after having not won the state title since 2015. Minor and Rentschler both also aspire to contribute bringing another state title back to RBHS this year.
“I look forward to competing [for] the rest of the season and playing well,” Minor said. “I’d like to make a run at state in the individual [event] and hope to place [first] in the team event. But most of all, I [look] forward to having fun and playing with my friends.”