'The rain didn't help' Wellesley struggles at Cape Cod National Golf Club invitational
BARNSTABLE - Wind and rain washed away any plan Wellesley hatched to defend its Cape Cod National High School Invitational title.
The Raiders placed sixth out of 11 teams at the seventh annual event shooting a 31-over 247. Each team brought four golfers, and the top three totals counted toward the team score.
"The want and desire of how they should approach it was different than how they did approach it because of the weather," Wellesley coach Ken Bateman said. "I think everyone had a tough day based on the conditions. It was so cold, it was windy, and the rain didn't help at all. I think a lot of kids had trouble holding the club. The short of it was we didn't play as well as we'd hoped."
Saint John's Prep held it together best, shooting a 231 to claim the title Sunday at 15 strokes over par. The Eagles edged second-place Hingham by a single stroke.
Bishop Stang senior Matthew Costello's 73 earned him the individual medal.
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"It gives us almost like a practice for the state tournament and sectional tournaments," Wellesley's Ryan Keyes said. "It's good experience to get all the guys playing together in an 18-hole forum at to focus on what we need to focus on based on missing shots (Sunday)."
Keyes, the 2021 Division 1 state champion, led Wellesley with a seven-over 79, tied for 10th. He birdied the par 5 first and par 4 ninth, finishing the front nine just two strokes over par.
"You had to be committed to every shot. If you weren't for one or two, it would cost you more than it normally would. It's just a simple grind out there mentality," Keyes said. "It comes with the experience of playing in conditions like this. The more you're able to put yourself in positions where you have to hit a shot that's into the wind and into the rain that's coming into your face, you learn more and more how to stay committed It's never easy to look back at like 10 shots you had and wish you could do them again."
Wellesley freshman Aarav Lavu only learned he'd take the course for the Raiders on Friday. Senior Ben Madden couldn't participate, which opened the door for Lavu.
He shot an 83 with a birdie on No. 8.
"Brutal conditions, windy, rainy, tough course, just got to scrap out there," Lavu said. "Obviously I was looking for a good round, but I was just trying to take in this experience. I mean, I've got three more years. Hopefully I'll be here next year. I just wanted to see how I can do against all these older kids."
Brian Campbell rounded out Wellesley's scoring with an 85 and fired three birdies. Cole Adams shot a 92.
"It just wasn't there for us . That's the way it works. In golf sometimes. You hope and you plan for one thing, and then sometimes it doesn't work out the way you hoped because of one minor adjustment in your swing or even just your train of thought that doesn't get you there for the day," Bateman said. "I hope they realize that sometimes that even if they don't have everything that they want in their game, they just have to continuously grind it out, do the best they can just to minimize the damage."
Despite the results, Bateman is glad he brought his team. Wellesley played in its third Cape Cod Invitational (2019, 2022). Last season the Raiders followed the title with runner up finishes at both the South Sectional championships and state tournament.
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"Regardless if we won or if we lost, the experience here was going to benefit them,” Bateman said. “The course is such a challenging course. No matter where they finished, it will be a good thing for them to work through and participate in.”
Contact Kyle Grabowski at kgrabowski@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylegrbwsk.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Wellesley places sixth at Cape Cod National High School Invitational
