By Hunter Alba

MENS GOLF

The Ponte Vedra Sharks Golf is under way as Sharks look to win their eighth consecutive state championship. This year the team is led by returning senior and Furman golf commit Cam Reed. Preseason kicked off in Palm Coast at the Conservatory Course. Unfortunately, the Sharks did not have their captain Cam Reed due to other solo tournaments he was participating in. However, going into this first tournament, the Sharks were very confident, not only for this tournament but also for the rest of the year. Danny Gimbel, a junior at Ponte Vedra High School stated, “It’s never been an expectation for us to win the state championship but it’s always an important goal for us.” On day one the Sharks took a demanding 13 stroke lead. After a successful first day Gimbel stated, “The team is in high spirits, and this should be an easy one to put away.” On the second day the team headed to the Ocean Course in Hammock Beach. The conditions weren’t ideal as there were moderate winds, and rain from the previous night had made the ground muddy. But when it was all said and done the Sharks pulled it out led by Junior, Cooper Franklin who shot a combined two round total of 147. They went on to defeat Beachside High School by three strokes.

The following week the Sharks played their first in-season tournament at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club on the Lagoon course.  Unlike in the Sharks preseason this tournament was only one day long which meant that there could be no errors on any golfer’s game. There were some slight changes to the playing roster with Senior Sean Grzebin Jr and Junior Danny Gimbel being subbed out for Junior Jack Chung and Junior Tate Seroyer. The Tournament started at 9:30 AM, and it was already scorching hot with the temperature reaching the upper nineties. But that didn’t matter as the Sharks cruised to a six-stroke win led by Junior Jack Chung who shot a 66, and Sophomore James Nagle who shot a 69. This marks another dominant win by the Sharks who continue their quest towards another state title.

WOMENS GOLF

         The Ponte Vedra Women’s Golf is looking to complete their run to the state title after two consecutive top three finishes in the state championship. One big difference this season is a brand-new coach. Coach Casper will replace Coach Siewert as the head coach. This change marks a new beginning that will be a difficult obstacle for the team to overcome. The first tournament of the season was held at TPC Sawgrass on August 21. It was a head-to-head matchup against the Nease Panthers. The first group teed off at 4:05 PM. The team was led by junior Stella Mortiz, and freshman Nina Santiago who both shot a 41. In the end the Sharks defeated the Panthers winning by a score of 173 to 187.

In the following week the team headed out to the Golf Club at Fleming Island. The team was in high spirits after their first win with Coach Casper. Junior, Stella Moritz stated “Coach Casper has been a great asset to the team so far. He has a great sense of humor and always lightens the mood.” They were matched up against Columbia High School and Fleming Island High School. The team looked different this week as Senior, Madeline Hildebrand and Sophomore Kennedy Hronek were subbed out for Freshman, Ella Belknap and Freshman Caroline Baines. The team also added Sophomore, Laila McNair. The tournament was on August 29 and started at 3:30 in the afternoon. Fortunately, the high temperature was in low nineties and there were cloudy skies. Everything seemed to line up for the sharks as they dominated over the second place Columbia High School winning by 24 strokes. The team was led by Junior, Stella Moritz who shot a 37 on par 36. The team is looking forward to their next match at TPC Sawgrass against Bolles.

Pictured: Mens golf team warming up before the match