Golf

The Mercersburg Academy boys varsity golf team tied rival Hill School in a closely contested match last weekend. Several players delivered strong performances to secure the tie against a competitive Rams team.

Head coach Doug Smith was satisfied with the result, but believed the team had the potential to win. “The team performed well. Hill is a strong opponent,” Smith said. “We pulled out a tie, which is a solid result against a strong opponent. We should have won our match with the talent we have.”

There were shining individual performances. Smith highlighted Yoonu Park ’29 and Kenneth Austin ’27 for winning their matches. Park credited his short game for overcoming struggles elsewhere. “My short game saved me today because I had really good putts and really good chip shots,” he said. 

Austin saw his round as evidence of his improvement. “I played up a guy from last year that I lost to, and I won,” Austin said. “I think that I didn’t just play well, but I showed a lot of improvement.”

Bruce Zhang ’28 delivered another important point for Mercersburg, sinking a putt on the 18th hole, marking his well-deserved win against a skilled opponent. Smith particularly highlighted Zhang, who has established a 7-0-1 match-play record this season. Zhang, however, credited Mercersburg’s depth. “The last group of Kenneth and Yoonu coming through and winning their matches” was crucial, Zhang said. “Them coming through with less experience and being able to clutch up the matches was really big for the team.”

Depth has become a defining part of Mercersburg’s season. Captain Stewart Allan ’27 said the team has improved significantly from previous years. “We’ve got a much deeper team,” Allan said. “The team is deep enough that, on any given day, six different players are capable of shooting around par.”

The team displayed that potential earlier in the week at Argyle Golf Club, where the Storm shot a 151 to tie the school record. Allan called the performance one of the highlights of the season, but Zhang believes the team can improve even further. “In the past, we’ve talked about how our team has a lot of potential,” Zhang said. “I think this year is the year where we’re starting to turn that into a more tangible reality.”

Development can only happen with solid leadership. Park praised captains Allan and Miles New ’27 for supporting younger players and providing advice.

For Allan, his goal for the season is to continue pushing the school record low score, since the team is fully capable of achieving that feat. “I really want to break 150 because this is the year that we can absolutely do it.”