“We’ve been a struggling program for many years, but the last three years we’ve come a long way,” said Bulldogs Coach Tom Carroll, last season’s All-Met Coach of the Year. “… We play a lot of golf, we practice a lot, and it’s starting to pay off for us, which is wonderful.”
School Without Walls was the only public school among the eight that participated in the team competition. The Penguins finished sixth.
“I’m just happy that we’re trying to grow golf in D.C. That’s what’s so great about this tournament because it should be something that all kids can take a part of,” Carroll said.
St. Albans was not the only repeat champion Thursday. Victoria Matthews, a nationally ranked senior at National Cathedral School, shot an 85 to edge St. John’s senior Katie Patterson (87) and secure the girls’ individual title after winning the event last spring.
“It was definitely not my best round, but I was glad that I was able to kind of hold things together,” Matthews said. “I was hitting it well off the tee. Everyone struggled with the putting today. It was kind of hard to get it done on the green, but I did the best I can.”
After Matthews wrapped up her round, she shook hands with two of the three other golfers in her foursome. But for Patterson — a two-time reigning WCAC medalist, a Tulane commit and, most importantly, her fiercest competition — a hug was in order.
“Me and her have been friends for maybe like five, six years, just playing in the same events,” Matthews said of Patterson. “It’s really great to be able to play with her because we weren’t in the same pairing last year. We definitely had a lot of fun, which is, you know, the most important thing.”
Gonzaga’s Carson Looney was the only player to finish under par, firing a 71 to win the boys’ individual title.
“I was just really happy with the way I played. I was swinging pretty well — not my best — but I found the fairways and I found the greens,” Looney said.
Gonzaga, this year’s WCAC champion, also came in second place in Tuesday’s Metro Championships at Worthington Manor in Urbana, finishing 14 strokes behind champion Georgetown Prep, which shot a combined 374. At that event, St. Albans finished third with a score of 402, and Paul VI came in fourth at 409.