Boys golf makes history: qualifies for NorCal Qualifier Tournament

The+golf+team+poses+for+a+picture+after+the+tournament.+The+team+qualified+for+the+Nor+Cal+Qualifier+Tournament+through+their+placement+in+the+CCS+tournament.

Provided by Coach Ie-Chen Cheng

The golf team poses for a picture after the tournament. The team qualified for the Nor Cal Qualifier Tournament through their placement in the CCS tournament.

by Alex Wang and Justin Su

The upper school boys golf team placed second in CCS finals after a day-long tournament at Rancho Canada, Carmel on Monday.

For the first time in Harker history, the boys qualified for the NorCal Qualifier tournament, which will be held next Monday in Salinas, Calif. The team also won the academic honors award for having the highest cumulative GPA in the league.

Senior Dakota McNealy shot a 71, six strokes over the first-place scorer in the league, and placed fifth place overall. Other team members include Ryan Vaughan (11), who tied for 11th place with a score of 72, and juniors Avi Khemani and Sandip Nirmel, both of whom tied for 17th place with scores of 73. Colt McNealy (11) shot a 77 while Scout McNealy (9) shot an 80, placing 40th and 52th, respectively.

The team practiced at the Rancho Canada course in their preparation for the tournament

“We practiced at Rancho every Saturday to get used to the course,” Victor Shin (10), another member of the team who did not participate in the tournament, said.

The team is now specifically preparing for the Northern California Qualifier Tournament, including planning a trip to the familiarize themselves with the course.

“We all developed our own practice plan for the next week that will best prepare us each individually. Then, on Sunday, we’ll drive down there and look at the course so that we learn the best way to play the course,” Avi said. 

The team will play at Salinas next Monday in the Northern California Qualifier Tournament.