Stangs swinging for state success | Boys’ golf preview

As more of a specialized sport than the other fall offerings for student-athletes at Redmond High School, golf has always been about quality over quantity for head coach Chris Zimmerman. Although only 14 kids tried out for the boys’ golf team this year, 11 of them are returning from last season, and four of them played in the 4A state tournament just last spring.

By Tim Watanabe • September 1, 2011 6:21 pm
Redmond golf coach Chris Zimmerman helps Daniel Bies line up a putt during a recent practice at Bear Creek Country Club. The Mustangs return four players that made the state tournament last year
Redmond golf coach Chris Zimmerman helps Daniel Bies line up a putt during a recent practice at Bear Creek Country Club. The Mustangs return four players that made the state tournament last year

As more of a specialized sport than the other fall offerings for student-athletes at Redmond High School, golf has always been about quality over quantity for head coach Chris Zimmerman.

Although only 14 kids tried out for the boys’ golf team this year, 11 of them are returning from last season, and four of them played in the 4A state tournament just last spring.

“I think we’re a deeper team this year than in years past,” Zimmerman said. “Looking at the scores during tryouts, our guys were all playing pretty well.”

The Redmond boys will be headlined by the Rudnicki twins, Oliver and Lyle, who are fourth-year varsity starters. They had a very busy summer of golf, playing in the Nature Valley First Tee Open on the Champions Tour at Pebble Beach, along with a number of Washington Junior Golf Association events.

“I haven’t seen them since last October, and just seeing them this year, they’ve filled out and they’re hitting the ball so much further,” said Zimmerman on the twins. “They’ve turned into good, young men and good players… I think they’re both going to put up some really good numbers this year.”

Although the program graduated scoring leader Charlie Mroz last year, and no longer has the benefit of a 2-handicap exchange student from Brazil in Henrique Pombo, the team is definitely deep enough to contend once again for the league title.

Mustang juniors Conrad Croshaw and long-hitting Jimbo Curtin, a member at Bear Creek Country Club where the team’s home matches are held, played plenty of summer tournaments as well.

In addition, the Mustangs should see scoring contributions by a pair of returning seniors in Cole Helgeson and Kirk Gysler.

 

SAHALEE STRUGGLES

The Mustangs were supposed to play their rival match, against Eastlake, in October — well into the season and after the boys could get back in the swing of league play.

Due to a scheduling conflict, that pivotal match was moved to last Tuesday, and the Mustangs were soundly defeated 191-203 at the difficult Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, breaking their streak of 24 consecutive league match wins.

“I thought we were looking solid, but we had a tough match (Tuesday),” Zimmerman said. “A lot of these guys hadn’t played there before, and it’s a tough place to go have your first match.”

Although Curtin medaled with a brilliant 1-under 35, he was the only Mustang in the top five.Oliver Rudnicki

“We didn’t play so well, but I think we’ll pull through at districts, because that’s when it really counts,” said Oliver Rudnicki (right), who finished 16th in the First Tee Open and won a WJGA event in Seattle the very next day. “The more tournaments you play, the easier it is to handle yourself under pressure. Some of the guys who hadn’t played Sahalee and knew it was against Eastlake, our rivals, they may not have been ready for the pressure.”

The Mustangs will look to start a new streak when they take on Ballard on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at a course to be determined.

 

HOME COURSE ADVANTAGE

While the Mustangs’ match against Eastlake was a tough break early on, they’ll gladly take it considering the tremendous good fortune they received when the new course for the district tournament was recently announced.

This year’s event will be held right in the Mustangs’ back yard at Willows Run Golf Club in Redmond, Oct. 12 and 13.

“That’s going to be huge for us, not having to drive to Snohomish early in the morning, and all of these guys have played Willows a million times,” said an excited Zimmerman. “I think we can probably get four guys again to state, Jimbo, Lyle, Oliver and Cole all went last year so they know what they have to do during districts.”

With the top 12 going on to state from the districts tournament, the Mustangs will have to compete against a very tough Eastlake team, with Woodinville and Skyline also touting players who can go low at any given time.

But the players know that they are in control of their own destiny, and look for another strong showing in the postseason.

“Definitely winning districts is going to be our main goal this year,” Oliver stated. “Last year we won districts and brought six to state, and a lot of us didn’t play so well at state. Each level it gets tougher, and more important, so we need to buckle down and do better at state.”