'These kids aren’t intimidated': Spruce Creek High boys golf ranks 3rd in state of Florida

PORT ORANGE — The Spruce Creek Hawks will play against Tiger Woods’ son next week.

It’ll happen at a professional course at PGA National Resort, and the tournament — The Classic in The Palm Beaches High School Invitational, scheduled for Oct. 13-14 —  will feature a bunch of the state’s top teams.

That includes Charlie Woods’ No. 1 Benjamin group.

All of those stakes — Hawks coach Mark Grose loves them.

“Here’s the thing: Our team does not get intimidated,” Grose said. “Sometimes, you get teams that are intimidated if the competition is good. These kids aren’t intimidated. They’ll go play against anybody, and it doesn’t bother them.”

Spruce Creek can hold its own against anybody, too. It ranks third in the state, and its top four golfers — Gabriel Hull, Jacob Watson, Scotty Messick and Michael Watson — sit in the top 78 in the state’s individual standings.

But their fearlessness isn’t something people come out of the womb with, Grose said. It’s learned, and Grose is intentional about developing it.

When he took over as Spruce Creek’s head coach in 2004, his team didn’t travel around Florida in search of the best challenges. By the time the state championship rolled around, he felt the Hawks weren’t ready. Their eyes got wide on the big stage.

So now, Spruce Creek participates in as many tournaments — tough tournaments — as possible. During each high school season, it hits the state maximum of 16 events. The Hawks also continue in individual tournaments throughout the offseason.

“There is definitely always nerves, especially at the bigger tournaments,” Michael Watson said. “But now as a senior, I feel like there’s a lot less nerves … It’s kind of just second nature to me.”

Two weeks ago, the Hawks made their largest impression of the season.

Already ranked 22nd, they went to Atlantis for the South Florida PGA East Coast High School Championship. After the first day, they possessed the lead. On the second day, they didn’t crack. They won by eight strokes over runner-up Oxbridge Academy.

They shot 3-under-par as a team and jumped to fifth in the state rankings. Now, they own No. 3.

“I was surprised by how well we played,” said Hull, a junior who tied for second at 6-under. “It was really nice.”

For Michael Watson and Grose, the whole team has been a little bit unexpected.

“This team has improved a lot since the beginning of the season,” Grose said. “It’s been a surprise. But they’re really good listeners.”

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“I knew we were going to be competitive,” Watson said. “I didn’t know how competitive, though. On paper, we have had stronger teams than this that I have been on. We’ve had D-I athletes on teams. This one, there are no D-I athletes on this team as of right now. The win in South Florida was great.”

Great for confidence. Great for experience. Great fun.

All the things Grose wants his players to glean from tournaments.

Next Friday and Saturday, Spruce Creek heads to Palm Beach Gardens for The Classic in The Palm Beaches High School Invitational. The program has taken part in it many times in the past. It’s Michael Watson’s favorite.

“The course is always in the greatest of conditions,” he said. “It’s a PGA Tour course. It’s famous. And the whole experience, we always stay as a team. We always stay at the hotel at the golf course. Some of the tournaments we go to, we’re all at different hotels and we’re kind of just staying there. But PGA National, I feel like it’s an organized team stay, and it just feels really good.”

The Hawks are hoping it feels that way on the scoreboard, too.

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A week and a half after that event, the district tournaments kick off. Then come regionals and states — their most important tournaments.

Last year, Spruce Creek grabbed the district title. It placed second at regionals and 10th at the state tournament.

“The stakes are a lot higher than the regular season,” Michael Watson said. “... You have to just ignore the nerves and just play your game.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school golf: Spruce Creek boys up to third in Florida