The boys golf team won their most recent non-league match 375-391 against Palisades High School at Wilson Harding Golf Course on April 9. The victory brought their overall record to 2-0.
Co-captain Branden Wong ’26 said the team has enjoyed traveling together while becoming more consistent throughout the season.
“I’d say the season is going pretty well,” Wong said. “We had a lot of fun on the couple trips we went on. We’ve had our ups and downs, but everyone’s trying a little harder and shooting in the 70s a lot more, so that’s really great.”
Barron Riady ’27 said the first tournament is the most memorable because the team went against a variety of competitive schools.
“My favorite memory of this season has been the Servite Invitational,” Riady said. “This is the first tournament of the year, and it always feels good to go out as a team and play in a big pool of competitive teams.”
Young Jin Shin ’29 said he initially struggled transitioning from playing individual to team tournaments, but found it easier with the help of his coach and teammates.
“The biggest adjustment for me is understanding that my score actually counts towards the team, not just for me,” Shin said. “In an individual tournament, spiraling out of control and dropping five shots in a couple of holes only affects me, but in a team setting like school golf, those five shots could cost our team several places, like when we came in sixth, only six shots behind third place. I think that the older players and Coach [Scott] Wood have helped me understand this, and knowing that all the people are very nice and just want the best for me motivates me to want to do the best I can for them.”
Co-captain Will Rosen ’26 said he motivates players before a match and supports them after a difficult one.
“There are definitely a few times when, before a tournament or a match, I’ll get my guys together and give them a pre-game speech to motivate everyone,” Rosen said. “There are times when people, after the match, are kind of down, and I’ll talk to them one-on-one and just make them understand that there’s always the next match, so it’s not the end of the world. I try to be a voice of reason in the locker room and make sure they know that there are more opportunities throughout the season to perform, and it’s okay if one match doesn’t go your way.”
Riady said he hopes to end the season by placing in the top three at one of the last tournaments while spending more time with the seniors.
“This is the last year where I get to compete alongside the seniors, so I am looking forward to closing out the season with some great rounds and for Harvard-Westlake to finish in the top three of one Mission League Tournament,” Riady said.
The team finished the season by competing in the Mission League Tournament #4 at Los Robles Greens Golf Course on April 23 and Mission League Tournament Finals at Lakeside Golf Course on April 28.
