Golf encounters trouble against Beverly Hills, stiffer competition to come

Chase WohrleStaff WriterThe golf team consists of 13 people; of these 13, six are new to the team and three of the six are freshmen. Despite the stunning lack of experience, the team is starting the second half of its season with a 4-1 league record. The only loss of the season so far was against Beverly Hills.While the boys have taken all of their matches seriously — as seen from their nearly spotless record — they focused particularly on the match against Beverly’s Normans, and for good reason. In recent years, Beverly has managed to consistently defeat the Vikings.“They beat us pretty much every time,” senior James Tucker said.On Monday, the boys played their first match against Beverly; unfortunately, they were unable to break from their  past, losing again to the Normans. Because the team is young, most players lack familiarity with their rivals.During Monday’s play, it was no surprise that Tucker was undoubtedly the team’s most valuable player. As one of the team’s few veteran golfers, Tucker has a special responsibility: comforting the many younger players on the team when facing a challenging adversary.“I guess I failed [on Monday],” Tucker said. “They kind of cracked under the pressure.”Coach Bart Burdick agrees with Tucker, saying the stress of Beverly had an apparent effect on the mindset of the group.“I think I put too much emphasis on it, and they went out and played uptight,” he said. “[Wednesday] I’m going to take a Phil Jackson moment, and let them figure it out.”The team faced Beverly again yesterday after “The Samohi” sent to press. With the loss at Samo’s home, this second match up against Beverly is critical to the rest of the team’s season.In regards to forthcoming matches, the boys have two elite teams to face after Beverly: Mira Costa and Palos Verdes.“Mira Costa is probably one of the best teams on the Westside,” Burdick said, “other than South Torrance and Palos Verdes.”cwohrle@thesamohi.com