Cole Druckenmiller, boys golf
FREMONT – Ross boys golf coach Jim Scharer has been telling his team the difference a single shot can make in golf.
In the last week alone the Little Giants have seen just what he means – 23 times over.
Last Wednesday Ross shot a team score of 214 at the Fremont County Club. Thursday afternoon Ross cut that score down to 191, a score Scharer was hoping his team would reach by season’s end.
“To improve from 214 to 191 in a week is staggering,” said Scharer, though Ross’ score was still 16 shots higher than its opponent, Toledo Central Catholic.
“You don’t realize how much one shot in golf really is. If somebody wins The Masters by four shots, it’s a blow-out, and that’s just one shot a day over the field. We haven’t played enough golf to really understand that, but we are getting to the point where I think they’re believing a little bit in themselves.”
Making Ross’ jump in score all the more impressive, it came without Owen Smith, the team’s No. 3 golfer. In Smith’s absence, Cole Druckenmiller not only shot his best round of the season, he also had the Little Giants’ lowest score, carding a 45.
“By far his best round this year,” Scharer said of Druckenmiller. “He has massively improved. And he had two birdie putts on the last two holes and he three-putted, or he could have had 43.”
While Scharer is thrilled with his team’s rapid improvement, there remain obvious areas where strokes could be trimmed. Dylan Genzman and Zane Rusch each shot a 47 and Braxton White had a 52, but the Little Giants all took turns posting high scores on individual holes, adding an extra 10 shots to the team’s total.
“The kids have to realize we have to take those big scores off the scorecard,” Scharer said.
While work remains to be done, given the Little Giants are already at their end-of-season goal, plenty of time remains to drop those scores even more.
“They’re far exceeding my expectations,” Scharer said. “Now, the thing is, we have to stay there and we have to get better. We need to have a couple rounds where we’re right there and then we can get some rounds of 180, 185 and then we’re getting to where we want to be.”
The golf team has a busy week next week, playing four events, starting with a match against St. Joseph Central Catholic Monday at 5 p.m. at Sycamore Hills.