On Wednesday, May 1, ten schools competed in the golf Union County Championship at Echo Lake Country Club. Scotch Plains-Fanwood finished in fifth place with a combined score of 335 on 18 holes played.
“I was happy to see each of our players reach their target scores in the county tournament. Jake was targeting a score in the 70s and Jasmine, Owen, Alex and Mason were all looking to score in the 80s. Echo Lake Country Club always plays difficult with firm and fast greens,” head coach Ryan Goracy told The Fanscotian.
Under coach Goracy, the team is currently sitting at a record of 7-4 and third overall in the Union County Conference. The Raiders started the season off strong, winning four straight matches in four straight days. The win streak featured two close matches between St. Peter’s Prep and Summit in which SPF came out on top by six or less strokes in both.
“I remind the team that we can’t do anything to prevent the other team from playing well. There is no defense in golf. We are playing against ourselves and the golf course and not the other team,” Goracy said. “We focus on hitting quality golf shots, making good course management decisions, and not letting a poor shot affect the next one.”
Last year’s leading scorer Tyler Glynn is missing the entirety of this season, putting the spotlight on sophomore Jake Todaro who has emerged as one of the best in the county.
“[Jake] is a complete player with excellent driving skills, iron play, and short game around the greens. He works extremely hard on his game and I am excited to see what else he’ll be able to accomplish throughout his high school career,” Goracy said.
Golf is considered the hardest sport to most professional athletes. Every shot matters especially compared to other sports and a competitive yet focused mindset is needed everyday on the course. As golf has grown in popularity in recent years, Todaro picked it up at the perfect time to prepare himself to play for the high school team.
“I was able to pick up golf relatively quickly because I started to play almost every day since my eighth grade summer,” Todaro said. “I don’t really go to the range [as] often as some people may think.”
Todaro’s growth as a golfer was on full display at the county tournament as he shot only four strokes over the course par and finished third overall with a score of 75.
“Finishing third this year and last year in counties feels really good. I am very proud of myself, because finishing third as a freshman and sophomore is not something that happens very often,” Todaro said.
Junior Owen Dimon and freshman Alex Dumontier who have ascended to larger roles this season finished in the middle of the pack. Dimon shot 85, followed by Dumontier with 87. Senior Jasmine Gutierrez-Solana recorded a career-best score of 88 and senior Mason DiNizo shot 89.
The Raiders walked away with impressive scores and anticipate closing the year out on a winning record—something they have not done since the 2021 season. Todaro hopes to individually qualify for the tournament of champions by winning sectionals.
“I am going to try my best and see if I can qualify [for the meet of champions],” Todaro said. “As a team, I would like for us to finish with a winning record. I think this is definitely possible because we have a lot of great players this year.”
