The Burroughs High golf team came very close to perfection Thursday afternoon in the third Pacific League match of the season, this time on the home course of DeBell Golf Club.
The Bears nearly shot under par as an entire team, something that is believed to have never happened before.
In the team standings Burroughs won by shooting 362. Burbank was not far behind with 376. Arcadia was third with 425, Crescenta Valley fourth with 453. The victory gives Burroughs victories in two of the first three league matches, with Burbank having won the other league match.
For the day, Burroughs had four golfers shoot under or on par over 18 holes on the par-71 course. What was even more impressive was that two of the golfers performed so well under difficult circumstances.
Even more astonishing is the fact that Burbank High’s J.J. Nakao, who will play at UC Irvine next year, was actually the low medalist, shooting 66.
Burroughs’ top player, junior Lincoln Melcher shot 68, in his first action in a week after being out with various ailments that included a bad reaction to a COVID-19 shot.
“I was playing pretty conservatively in trying to just make pars and stay in it. But I had a hold out from 80 yards for eagle. That turned the tides and the back nine I started to feel more comfortable,” said Melcher, who is committed to UCLA.
Burroughs senior Ryan McGowan shot even par even though he was playing with a sprained wrist.
“I hit a lot of knock down shots because I couldn’t hit full-swing shots. I haven’t played in a week and a half. I was anxious going into the match, but then in the middle of it I was feeling like I could play normally,” McGowan said.
Burroughs sophomore Emilio Huerta shot 69 and freshman Adriel Abaoag shot 71, a day after he shot a jaw-dropping 60.
Dylan Vallejo shot 83 and Daniel Gonzalez shot 96 for Burroughs. Vallejo said he felt good on all but just two holes.
Burbank also got solid performances from Kevin Kienlen, who shot 74 and Billy Malipun who shot 75. Frank Maslyk shot 79, Luke Carnegie 82 and Zach Ducore 90.
