by Cliff Carpenello, staff writer
Two players on the Cal High men’s golf team did something that most professionals rarely if ever achieve in their lifetime.
Sophomores Ian Rogers and Kyle Hornsby both made their first holes in one this season.
Both were in shock after making their pair of aces.
Hornsby, who has been playing for three years but had to sit out last year because of an unfortunate injury, hit his on the fourth hole at Crow Canyon Country Club in Danville on March 6 during the EBAL opener against San Ramon Valley.
The hole is 160 yards and is surrounded by bunkers, so Hornsby had to get it on the green or else he’d probably be stuck in sand.
He went with his eight iron because he needed a more lofted club to avoid overshooting the green. His strategy for this hole was to go with the wind to help make up for using a more lofted club that doesn’t travel as far.
After he hit it he went down to the hole where his teammate was waiting for him. Both did not know the ball went in until his teammate looked in the hole.
“I was looking for my ball when my teammate looked in the hole and saw that it had actually gone in,” said Hornsby
Hornsby figured that he’d eventually get a hole in one but never expected it to happen his sophomore year.
Rogers, who has been playing almost seven years, hit his ace on the fifth hole at The Bridges Golf Course, Cal’s home course, during a non-league match against Dublin on Feb 29.
The 183-yard hole is a clear shot, but Rogers said he couldn’t overshoot the green because it has a drop off behind it. If he did overshoot the green, he would be facing a tough chip back from the dropoff.
Rogers hit his four iron, which he said he can hit as far as 185 yards. When Rogers hit the shot he knew that he had hit it just enough to get it on the green and wasn’t too worried that he overshot the green.
Once the ball was out of sight he started heading down when a player from Dublin came to him and told him the news.
“The player from Dublin saw it go in,” said Rogers. “He even carried my stuff as we went down to the hole.”
Afterwards, Rogers bought the whole team sodas at the clubhouse in celebration of his very first hole in one. It’s tradition for golfers to buy drinks after a hole in one.
“They’re both pretty good, so its not as big of a shock to me but still stunned me when I heard the news,” said junior golfer Reid Souza.
Both Rogers and Hornsby inspired the rest of the team to try even harder during this season so they can join them and their holes in one. This achievement is very rare and is even more rare for a pair of sophomores.
Despite Hornsby and Rogers’ pair of aces, the golf team is struggling in league play this season.
The Grizzlies improved to 2-9 in the EBAL with a 233-238 victory over Livermore at The Bridges on April 16.
Souza led with way with a 5-over 42, while one of Cal’s ace sophomores, Hornsby, shot a 48.
Cal’s other victory came at home over Granada on March 21.
The team keeps their hopes up for maybe turning the season around and become better during the home stretch. Cal wraps up its season at Round Hill on Tuesday.
The problems Cal faces within the team is a lack of technique and work ethic that are key to having a successful season. To change this, the team is looking to have greater commitment and to work harder during practice so they can start winning more matches.
“We haven’t really had much success so far but we should be getting there soon,” said Souza.
The team had a close match at home against Monte Vista on March 22, but the Grizzlies came up short and lost. They took this loss as a sign of improvement, however, because it shows that they can compete with a strong team like Monte Vista.
“We’re starting to see improvement slowly but we’re working on it,” said Hornsby.
