Medfield’s Depth Key to Golf Team’s Success this Season [Video]

boys’ golf coach George Callaghan said this year’s team is among the best he’s ever had come through the program.

“It’s probably one of the strongest teams that I’ve had,” Callaghan said. “Especially depth-wise.”

That depth Callaghan is referring to has led the Warriors to another impressive season on the golf course, racking up 13 straight victories heading into Tuesday’s match against Bellingham – good for first place in the Tri-Valley League standings.

“Our strength really is the depth of our team,” Callaghan said. “One through eight, we are pretty strong. We have six returning seniors, which a real asset for our team and we have Brett Thomas, who is the league MVP and is only a sophomore.”

Having eight talented golfers on a team has led to little competition against other opponents with less depth but has created a lot of healthy competition amongst teammates.

“They work a lot in the off-season and they play a lot,” Callaghan said. “They get along with each other well, it’s a good group. They enjoy each other and they have a good time. They practice a lot and they compete amongst themselves a lot.”

That’s to be expected in a sport that only counts the scores of the top six players per team.

“I got kids that are playing seven and eight that are playing good golf,” Callaghan said. “Anything below 240 is good. That means you’re averaging 40 with some of them in the 30s. We had 213 in one match, which is real low. We had everyone shooting under 40. It’s a strong team.”

Leading the team this season are senior Dave Swanson and sophomore Thomas, who according to Callaghan are averaging roughly a score of 36 per match.

“Dave Swanson, one of our captains, has had a great year,” Callaghan said.

Mike Mulrey, a senior captain, is averaging a 37, Mike DiFiori, a junior, is averaging roughly a 37 and Pat O’Reilly and captain Cal Given are each averaging scores “in the high 30s,” according Callaghan.

“All these kids are playing well,” Callaghan said. “We’ve had a good season. We are looking forward to the state tournament.”

With two matches remaining in the regular season, Callaghan said Medfield is taking it “one game at a time,” while preparing for the state tournament.

“We have to qualify for the sectionals on the 24 of October, which is at South Shore down at Hingham,” Callaghan said. “They take the top three or four teams and you send six players. The six players going this year [from Medfield] are the same six that went last year. So they have a lot of experience.”

The captains – Mulrey, Given and Swanson – are ready to lead an experienced team into the tournament.

“They’re great,” Callaghan said. “They drive the ball well and their short games have improved a lot. There’s nothing glaring [that needs corrected]. Course management is a big thing in golf.”