Co-captains Connor Kim and Paul Gomes walk across the golf course during a practice. Both players gave impressive performances in their match on Sept. 3. (Courtesy Paul Gomes)

WJ golf kicked off their fall season with a bang on Sept. 3, defeating Clarksburg, Damascus and Blair in their first match of the year. The win was in part thanks to the impressive debut of several freshmen, as well as the consistently strong performances of the team’s more experienced players.

The team was led by coach Thomas Wheeler in his 22nd year coaching the sport. Although they fell short of their goals in the 2023 season, Wheeler sees this year as an opportunity for a major comeback.

“We didn’t have a very good season last year and our number one golfer is at Florida State, so they moved us down a division, and yesterday we pretty much dominated,” Wheeler said. 

Although the opening game was extremely successful, it wasn’t without its challenges. Harsh wind conditions and high stakes added to the difficulty of the match.

“First match jitters kind of got to the whole team. We didn’t do that well to our standards, but we still took the win and beat out all three other teams, so we’re starting off undefeated,” junior co-captain Paul Gomes said. 

Despite many players underperforming compared to their normal level, WJ’s golfers are still optimistic about what lies ahead. This optimism is largely due to their significantly improved roster, which boasts a combination of skilled veterans and fresh talent.

“Connor Kim is our captain, he’s a senior, and Paul Gomes is our number one golfer right now. We also have two freshmen, Ryan Kim and Owen Struzziero and they’re really good,” Wheeler  said.

As the skill of the roster has increased this year, so have the standards for the team. Coach Wheeler has set lofty goals for the team, which include making it to the state championship.

“I don’t have any worries about us qualifying for states, and I feel like we can qualify for day two as a team, which we didn’t do last year,” Gomes said.

Players have set high-reaching goals for themselves as well, using them as motivation to work harder and improve. Most of these goals revolve around district and state championships, which are highly competitive.

“This season I’m hoping to do better than last year at districts, even though I placed pretty well last year. I’m hoping to place in the top 5, and for states, I’m hoping to crack the top 15 or top 10,” Gomes said.

The team hopes to recreate their success in the remaining 15 matches of the season. Even though these matches include challenging opponents like Quince Orchard, Einstein and Rockville, coach Wheeler is confident in their path to victory.

“We have five golfers shooting 40 or below. If four of them come through on any given match, we’re going to win,” Wheeler said.