Golf Nails New Hampton
Exeter’s varsity golf team teed off this Saturday against their first opponent of the year, the New Hampton School, and clutched the victory after a day marked by rocky starts and phenomenal performances. Under a warm, blue sky, surrounded by the plush fairways and greens of Apple Hill Golf Club, the team was concentrated on delivering a strong season opener after the cold winter months and beat New Hampton by 4 points.
Upper and captain Kennedy Moore described the team’s determined mentality walking into the day. “Our mindset was that we weren’t going to lose a single hole. We thought: no matter what happens tomorrow, we’re going to cut eighteen holes in the ground.” Lower Cole Breen echoed Moore’s sentiments, saying that “The team was focused on trying to play our best and rubbing off some of the rust from winter.” The team overall approached the day excited to play at Apple Hill, “one of our favorite places to launch ‘em,” Moore commented.
A couple of players’ performances from the day were equated to the skills of highly accomplished professional golfers. At the start of the day, upper and captain Teddy Keller “Won his match with a short game display that media outlets have compared to that of Si-Woo Kim,” Moore said. Keller similarly praised his fellow captain, saying “My best friend and role model Kennedy Moore flourished and will give the team great depth this year. His driving performance [on Saturday] was likened to that of Luke List.” Lower Robbie Herzig applauded the efforts of his captains “Kennedy and Teddy had stand-out days. They’ve been playing well in practice and it showed on Saturday,” Herzig said.
The beginning of the match was indeed rocky for a few members of the team, including prep Brian Adams. “Adams had a disastrous first hole,” Keller said. Herzig added, “I found it pretty funny and wild that Brian tied his first hole with an 8, which is pretty much unheard of.” Nevertheless, Keller highlighted Adams’ impressive ability to bounce back from the start. “[He] recovered well, showing great perseverance.” Adams ended up winning his first high school match ever, which, as Moore explained, currently puts him at a 100% winning percentage for his career so far.
As Keller described, despite some struggles the top of the team’s lineup faced, “Everybody else won their matches,” and “the team played well overall.” Herzig highlighted the team’s impressive accomplishment of “only losing two of our six individual matches.”
“Some might even say that particular players played an electric round of golf,” Breen said.
Heading into their next line up against Governors and Andover, the team is even more determined. The match is “a must win,” Keller said. Keller elaborated on his preparation efforts, saying “I’m envisioning all my shots. When I go to bed every night I envision my shots to better my game any chance I get.” Moore put the team’s hopes simply: “making putts and banging putts.”
The team’s victory against New Hampton served as an example for their ambitions for the rest of the season, and the Exeter golf team is heading into the rest of their season as a talented and powerful force ready to out-drive and out-putt any opponent who dares to tee up against them.