GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — If you look at tournament records, most times you’ll see Grand Rapids Christian ranked 1st and 2nd. It isn’t a glitch, but rather a testament to how competitive the eagles program is.
“Having a bunch of guys that are good at golf has challenges but also it’s really a blessing and we’re honored to be apart of it,” said Head Coach Kevin Broene.
“It definitely gives me something to strive for. I remember freshman year we had 13 people on varsity A and it was a lot of people and a lot of fun but not everyone got chance to play consistently. So it’s nice having two teams that maybe if you don’t make the A team you can still get out and play with the B team the next week. So it gives you a chance to play varsity competition week in and week out,” said junior Max O’Grady.
The No. 1 ranked Eagles have dominated tournaments all over the state with both teams, including the Kent County invite two weeks ago were they took first and second.
“It’s humbling for sure, it feels really good to have all the success we have and share it as a team. We’re all best friends and I have a good relationship with each and every one of the guys,” said senior Alex VandenBerge.
Head Coach Kevin Broene took over three years ago and tries to make sure the two teams are best representing the program based on how well the players are shooting that week.
“Just because someone is scoring average doesn’t automatically get you something. There’s a lot of things that go into that especially on our team. Being hot and seeing the ball well is really important, seeing shots well, if that seems to be happening for someone we try to get them those opportunities,” said Broene.
The pandemic helped introduce many of these guys into golf because they weren’t able to play other sports and for sophomore John Cassiday, he enjoys the differences compared to the other sports he plays.
“I grew up playing, and still am playing competitive soccer and basketball and golf is different than those two. You can really use your aggression and competitiveness right there in the moment but golf is kinda more like a marathon so to speak and I like that different aspect of competition,” said Cassiday.
Last spring they finished 4th in the state, with just two seniors on the team and a lot of young talent they hope to finish higher and play their best game.
“At the end of the day, golf is a really fluid sport so sometimes you can come out with your best score and sometimes you can come out with a really good score and someone beats you. I just hope that we can do the best that we can do physically and if we don’t, we don’t. But at least we played our best,” said Cassiday.
Grand Rapids Christian will travel to Egypt Valley on Wednesday April 26th to compete in a league jamboree.
For more scores, highlights, and the latest news on high school sports in West Michigan, go to the FOX 17 Blitz page.
