The golf team completed its season with just six players — the fewest Matt Vargo said he has coached on the squad in more than 10 seasons at Country Day.
The small size meant Country Day could not compete as a team, allowing only individuals to qualify for the May 13 Sac-Joaquin Section Masters tournament in Stockton.
Since the girls Masters took place in the fall, juniors Emma Boersma, Anu Krishnan and Yumi Moon were unable to compete in the spring tournament.
Junior David Situ, according to Vargo, was close to qualifying for the Masters but couldn’t play in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI Championships on May 6 at Diablo Grande in Patterson, near Modesto. Situ said the event was too close to the Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Anaheim.
Nevertheless, senior captain Harrison Moon placed in the top six in the Sacramento Metropolitan Athletic League Championships, April 29 at Haggin Oaks. He qualified for the Masters but was unable to attend due a senior seminars training session.
According to Vargo and Situ, the team’s small size affected Country Day in every match.
Boersma and Yumi Moon had other athletic commitments throughout the season, limiting their participation, and the journalism convention took place near the division championships too.
Krishnan, who played in three of the four matches, said fewer Country Day golfers competing at each match had a psychological impact as well.
“If the whole team isn’t there supporting each other, it feels different,” she said.
“If the whole team isn’t there supporting each other, it feels different.”
—Anu Krishnan
Furthermore, according to Vargo and Situ, the team was less experienced than last year’s.
“Last year, we had a pretty full team, and the players were all very interested in playing golf at a high level in the matches,” said Situ, who played in two of the four matches this season.
Only Harrison Moon and Situ had played in championships before this season.
Boersma, Krishnan and Yumi Moon were on the team in prior years but played only in regular-season matches.
Still, the season had plenty of highlights, Vargo said.
Krishnan, according to Vargo, improved the most.
“She was super consistent, playing in nearly every match we had, and she did a great job,” he said. “It was so fun to have her out there.”
Krishnan, who has been on the team since her freshman year, said she “improved a lot” this season.
“I still think I have a long way to go, but it was good,” she said.
Vargo also said he was proud of Krishnan and Nihal Gulati for their “mental toughness” in playing through challenging conditions, such as poor weather and low match participation.
Krishnan said she was proud of the girls on the team for playing their best even though they couldn’t qualify for Masters.
—By Héloïse Schep
Originally published in the May 28 edition of the Octagon.
