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St. Luke's Varsity Golf: Season Preview
As it heads into the 2019 season, St. Luke’s Varsity Golf team hopes to defend its FAA title for the third straight year.
The Storm lost only one match in 2018 and, with many of that squad returning, head coach Jason Warner expects his group of players to win its fourth FAA Championship in as many years.
Many of the team traveled to Florida as part of the athletic department’s annual spring training trip. Warner was impressed with how well the group played in the Sunshine State: “The guys really hit the ball well. Mark Gertsen (‘19) and Jack Maguire (‘19) were shooting right around par. Ben Loomis (‘21) and Jack Fitzgibbon (‘21) were in the high 70s to low 80s and Chris Ayoub (‘19), Matt Laguzza (‘19) and Lars Ernberg (‘20) all had some great rounds, too. The team bonded very well, so overall it was a great experience.”
Arguably, St. Luke’s has the best one-two combination in the league with Maguire and Gertsen, so Warner is counting on his two captains to anchor the team: “Jack and Mark are both exceptional golfers who will play at the next level. They have the ability to shoot some really low scores. We will look to them to lead by example, both on and off the course.”
Loomis and Fitzgibbon have been with the team since eighth grade and will play in the number three and four spots for the Storm. Warner is looking for them to produce consistently low scores: “They both have very good swings and improved a lot over the course of the year. They are very capable of scoring a few over par, for nine holes, on a regular basis.
The team will also compete in the Bulls Bridge Invitational again and has been asked to play in the Greenwich Invitational this season. The Storm finished third in the Bulls Bridge event in 2018, and Warner is hoping for another good showing: “I think we have a really good chance of winning every event we play in. The Bulls Bridge and Greenwich Invitational will be very good tests for us, but we have the talent to compete against anyone.”
The future looks bright for St. Luke’s golf, with a number of younger players impressing during preseason. Eoin Mueller ‘23 and Flynn Partington ‘23 have caught the eye of Warner, who hopes to be able to give them some valuable experience this spring: “Eoin and Flynn shot around 90 in their tryout rounds at Ridgefield. That is pretty impressive for 8th graders on that course. They both have good swings and will start hitting the ball further as they get bigger and stronger. I am excited to see their development and expect both to be major contributors to the golf program here at St. Luke’s.”
The St. Luke’s Golf team opened up the 2019 campaign with a 7-0 victory against King School on Monday, April 1, at Sterling Farms Golf Course.
Next up: The Storm is back on the course on Thursday, April 11, as they host Greens Farms Academy at The Country Club of New Canaan.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
