SALINAS—North Monterey County was the only team standing between Gilroy and a league title—and the Condors were no matches for the Mustangs.
Gilroy breezed past NMC at Monday’s Monterey Bay League Championships at the Crazy Horse Ranch golf course in Salinas to capture the Pacific Division crown. The Mustangs won by 17 strokes, combining for a team score of 442 in the 18-hole contest. Christopher finished in sixth place in the Gabilan Division with a team score of 481.
The Mustangs finished third overall, trailing only Palma (377) and Salinas (411) from the upper Gabilan Division. Gilroy was also given the Elgie Bellizo Sportsmanship Award for the Pacific Division.
“We knew had a good shot at winning, but to play as well as we did and not only win by a couple strokes but to beat out North Monterey County by 17 strokes was a huge surprise,” Mustangs coach Sam Sauer said.
In addition to a league title, Gilroy golfer Magnus Myhr earned medalist honors for the sixth consecutive week and was named the MBL’s Most Valuable Player. He led his team with a score of 76, which included an eagle from 30 yards out on his final hole.
“It was a kind of up and down day, but I managed to pull through,” Myhr, a foreign exchange student from Sweden said. “I sank the eagle on the last hole and that pretty much sealed the deal.”
The pressure was on from the start as each Mustang was paired up with a Condor for the league championships. Sauer said he told his team they had just one objective: shoot lower than their NMC counterparts.
The advice paid off as all the Gilroy golfers posted stellar scores. Mustang golfers Avery Trevino and Nick Triolo weren’t far behind Myhr as both carded an 87. Desmon Hernandez scored a 94, Alex Bakita a 98 and Brendan Peddie rounded out scoring for Gilroy with a 113.
“I’m very proud of my team,” Trevino said. “(I) just tried to keep a straight head and to do my best.”
Myhr and Trevino were both named First Team All League. Trevino was also given an individual sportsmanship award. Triolo, a senior, earned Second Team All League honors.
“It was pretty cool to see all their hard work pay off and get that status at the end of the season,” Sauer said.
Myhr is guaranteed a spot in next week’s Central Coast Section Tournament, earning one of four individual qualifying spots. He said he’s excited for CCS, but was hoping his team would join him.
Unfortunately for the Mustangs, they fell just shy of qualifying for the section tournament. As the No. 1 team from the lower Pacific Division, they had to take on the No. 2 overall team, Monterey, from Gabilan in a playoff match Tuesday at the Laguna Seca Golf Ranch in Monterey.
Though Gilroy had bested Monterey by a stroke at the MBL Championships, the team lost by a score of 253-219.
Myhr led the Mustangs with a 41. Triolo shot a 46, Trevino a 49 and Hernandez a 57. Peddie carded a 60 and Bakita shot a 62.