Two days and about 40 miles made a big difference for the
Hollister High boys golf team Thursday.
The Balers, who extended their Tri-County Athletic League lead
Tuesday with a stellar team score of 149 in a round-robin match at
Ridgemark Golf
&
amp; Country Club, slumped 22 strokes to 171 Thursday, finishing
behind Live Oak and Salinas High at Corral de Tierra Country Club
south of Salinas.
Two days and about 40 miles made a big difference for the Hollister High boys golf team Thursday.
The Balers, who extended their Tri-County Athletic League lead Tuesday with a stellar team score of 149 in a round-robin match at Ridgemark Golf & Country Club, slumped 22 strokes to 171 Thursday, finishing behind Live Oak and Salinas High at Corral de Tierra Country Club south of Salinas.
“It was just a bad day today,” said Hollister coach Mitch Thomas. “It was a different golf course. The greens were firm (and) fast, and a little bit windy conditions. Two of the guys hadn’t played the course before.”
Live Oak shot a team score of 160 to gain a point on the Balers in the T-CAL ladder. Hollister is still in first place with 11 points, but Live Oak pulled to within one at 12, tied with Palma. Gilroy is in fourth with 12.5 points.
“I think there’s going to be a dog fight all the way to the league finals,” Thomas said. “You’ve got five teams within a couple of points of each other.”
The T-CAL championships, an 18-hole affair (league matches are nine holes), will be held April 29 at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley.
The fast Corral de Tierra greens led to a frustrating abundance of three-putting Thursday and a lot of double-bogies by the Balers, Thomas said.
“I told them, ‘You guys just gotta play bogey. Don’t try to hit miracle shots,'” he said.
Dan Rivera paced Hollister with a 41. Ian Hudson and Matt Lopez each shot 43 while Zach Zgragen came in at 44, following a par-36 Tuesday. John Dempsey, who shot a 1-under par 35 Tuesday, slipped to 45. Chris Zubillaga also shot 45.
The Balers return to Corral de Tierra Monday for a match against fifth-place Salinas and North Salinas. Hollister faces its closest competitors, Palma and Gilroy, Wednesday at Eagle Ridge in Morgan Hill.
