Gilroy’s lone representative falls short of making cut at par-71
West Course of the Rancho Canada Golf Club in Carmel Valley
Tuesday
CARMEL VALLEY
And some people wonder why the game of golf is such a frustrating sport.
In a tightly contested, highly congested Central Coast Section Regional on Tuesday at the Rancho Canada Golf Club in Carmel Valley, many golfers were left wondering what could have been if only they birdied the first hole, shot par on the last, didn’t land in the bunker on one hole, didn’t plant it behind a tree on another.
Second guessing tends to ensue when just a stroke or two would have made a world of difference.
“Not that well,” said Gilroy’s Mitch Goldsmith, when asked how he performed Tuesday on the par-71 West Course. “Not as well as I could of.”
After carding an 82 last week at the Tri-County Athletic League Finals, an 18-hole score that advanced him to Tuesday’s CCS Regional as Gilroy’s lone representative, Goldsmith shot an 83 at Rancho Canada, the first time he’s ever competed at the Carmel Valley golf course.
A light, misting rain fell early in the morning on Tuesday – Goldsmith teed off at 8:16 a.m. – and the GHS sophomore felt the drizzle affected the greens, which several golfers commented on after their round.
“It made the greens softer, which made a lot of the greens inconsistent,” Goldsmith said.
“Just making putts. I made two putts outside of 10 feet the whole day.”
St. Francis (371), Menlo-Atherton (379), Palo Alto (385) and Carmel (390) took the top four spots to advance to next week’s CCS Championships, while the top eight individuals, with the cut set at 75, advanced to the final round next week as well.
Noah Sheikh of St. Francis medaled the round with a 3-under 68 on the West Course.
Gilroy head coach Eric Kuwada felt Goldsmith played well, but had a tough start to open his round.
“But it’s his first CCS tournament as well,” Kuwada said. “It’s a little nerve-racking playing in front of all those good golfers. We hope it was a learning experience for him.
“He had never played this golf course either, and to be nervous … golf is not forgiving whatsoever.”
Goldsmith, starting from the first tee, shot a 43 on the front nine before he was able to knock off a few strokes on the back nine, where he carded a 40.
“When I saw him play on the back nine, he played well,” Kuwada said. “But the start was tough.”
Only a sophomore, though, Goldsmith is hoping his first trip to the CCS Regionals won’t be his last. Shooting an 87 at last season’s TCAL Finals, Goldsmith is hoping his 18-hole scores continue to drop in the years to come.
“It’s disappointing because I know I could have done better,” Goldsmith said. “But I still have two more years and I’ve improved a lot since last year.”
