Rams finish in fourth place at Eagle Ridge GC; Noto remains in
battle for top golfer in Coast Conference
GILROY – The Gavilan College men’s golf team picked up its first conference team points of the season Monday, as three Rams shot in the 70s and two followed in the 80s to give them a season-high fourth place finish at Eagle Ridge GC.
“They did good,” head coach Scott Krause said. “We’re playing against some pretty good golfers. If anybody is going to get beat up, it’s going to be on this course.”
Sophomore Brian Mikrut shot a team-low 77 for the second straight match, while both freshmen teammates Kevin Noto and Chris Erickson followed with 78s. Rounding out the Rams’ line-up was freshmen Jared Anderson (82) and John Dempsey (85).
“We’ve played really well the last three matches. I had five out of six in the 70s last week and we were tied for last,” Krause said. “This is a tough league, but we’re fighting our way.”
Athough Gavilan is having a tough run in the team competition, for the second straight season, the Rams have an individual battling it out for the conference’s top golfer. Noto, a standout on the Gilroy High golf team, has bounced up and down from first to third through the first six matches of the season. Last year, state-qualifier Chris Ellis finished as the top golfer in the Coast Conference.
“I totally expected him to do well,” said Krause of Noto. “He’s a solid player and he’s always working on his game.”
Krause, the director of instruction at Eagle Ridge, is in his third year coaching the Rams. Noto worked for him on the course and has taken lessons from Krause over the years.
With three matches remaining, Noto is in prime position to qualify as an individual for the Northern California Championship, and then the State Finals. The top four teams and top four individuals in conference advance.
Before Monday’s match, Noto maintained a 74.3 average, second to only Monterey Peninsula’s David Boyles (73.8), but Noto shot his highest score at Eagle Ridge.
“He was hitting the ball so well he was losing control of his distance. He was hitting it over a couple of greens,” Krause said. “He hit the ball so pure that it was going a lot further.”
