Golf Caps Undefeated Season With Title
The word “undefeated” hung in the minds of Exeter’s golf team this Saturday as Big Red made the journey to Breakfast Hill Country Club, their home course, to compete in the last of a three-match series against Andover and Governors Academy. Described by captain and senior Paul Lei as “the biggest match of the season,” the team’s eagerness to win paid off. Exeter finished first with a score of 390, as opposed to Andover’s 407 and Governors’ 433, securing a perfect record for the season at 13-0. After going 6-7 last season, an undefeated campaign was very rewarding.
With the strong desire to finish the season strong, lower Johyun Woo described the team as “jumpy” when going into the match. While the team had already beaten Andover and Governors in the previous two matches, the players were cautious not to become overconfident.
“Sometimes I will be struggling and a teammate will give me some words of encouragement or short advice. It’s those types of situations that keep the team close and each player confident. They really show our maturity.”
Andover held the lead after the front nine holes, keeping Exeter’s players on their toes. However, according to Lei, Big Red kept themselves composed, allowing them to overcome the deficit despite missing their top player. Lei credited this success to culture of this season’s golf team, which has been different from the past due to the current players’ maturity and motivation.
“I told the members of our team before the match to make me a promise of hitting each shot one at a time,” he said. “Focusing on the moment is the most important thing for golf. There was a lot of uncertainty in the middle, but by taking things slowly, we remained calm and composed, allowing us to grab one last win.”
Lower Charlie Dubiel agreed with Lei. Another one of the team’s strengths this year has been its constant preparation, which Dubiel believed played a particularly important role in the team’s ability to continuously finish matches with victories.
“We knew even before the season began that we had a very strong team,” Dubiel said. “But we wouldn’t have done so well without our constant motivation. On a daily basis we worked our hardest on the gym, on the course and in the range to improve our game.”
Indeed, even when some players’ confidences dwindled, the team also did a great job motivating eachother throughout the match. Between shots, teammates would share words of encouragement, along with occasional high-fives. While these moments seemed trivial at the time, Lei believes they played an important role in the team’s ability to remain calm and positive.
“Communications during matches is a very key thing that is overlooked by many golf teams,” he said. “Sometimes I will be struggling and a teammate will give me some words of encouragement or short advice. It’s those types of situations that keep the team close and each player confident. They really show our maturity.”
Overall, Lei described the golf team’s season as “a huge success.” He hopes to see the team’s pattern of winning stretch into the last tournament as the team travels to Kingsford Oxford for a final off-record competition.
“It is such an honor to be the captain of such a great group of people,” he said. “Each and every member of the team contributed to the season's success, and while I am really excited to see how this next tournament plays out, it will be sad to finish my last competition with the team. Yet, whether we win or lose, I’m just glad everyone made my last season so perfect.”