Bellingham Golf Looking to Qualify

By Christopher Tremblay,

Staff Sports Writer

Last fall, Tom Forbes took the reins of the Bellingham golf team and had the Blackhawks on the verge of qualifying, but the team fell just short of the .500 mark. This year, the second year Coach is hoping that the squad, despite losing three seniors to graduation, including its top golfer in Jamison Elderidge, will be able to eclipse that .500 regular season record and earn a spot in the State Tournament.

“I believe that we are a better team than we were last year, at least on paper so far,” Forbes said. “Jamison was in the top ten, but I think that we are going to be more consistent throughout the lineup this year. The eighth graders got a lot of experience last year and should be able to improve upon that this year.”

With Eldridge moving on, Bellingham will not have the number one golfer, so everyone, one through eight, will have to be up to their potential each and every match if the Blackhawks are looking to make a run at getting into the tournament. 

“The Tri-Valley League is a hard league to win in, especially against some of the top teams,” the coach said. “It’s a tough mechanism to play in the TVL Small Division as there are some affluent communities whose kids have country club memberships and play golf year-round, making it tough to beat them.”

Unfortunately for Bellingham, the town they live in is more of a blue-collar community, and a lot of the kids don’t have the luxury of a country club membership, so the team needs to go out and play their best. If they can take their game to the next level this fall, then there should be no reason that they can’t make the tournament. If the team isn’t able to earn that state playoff berth, Forbes believes that his team should have 4 to 5 players qualify for the individual tournament.

Leading the way on the course this fall will be Eli Sylvia. The senior was the Blackhawks number two golfer last fall and has been elevated to the top spot this season. According to Forbes, Sylvia came out like gang busters during the first half of the season, but he eventually fell off his game. A year-round golfer, Sylvia has been playing in junior tournaments this summer and it looks as though it has helped his game.

Behind Sylvia is another senior in Evan Thorell, who has also moved up a notch from three to two this fall. The two top golfers for Bellingham both average between 43-45, and on a good day they could notch a score of 39-41.

Charlie Eldridge found himself in the lower half of the lineup last fall, but this season he’ll be beginning third for the Blackhawks. A year older, and with experience, Eldridge has moved up the ladder. 

The fourth and fifth positions currently have senior Robbie Seyffert and junior Joe Corsi battling it out. Both athletes are playing on the high school golf team for the first time. Corsi, as well as Seyffert, both find themselves on the golf course for considerable amount of time outside of high school.

The 6,7 and 8 positions will rotate between freshmen Matt Marino and Owen Miller, sophomore EJ Ormberg and junior Sean Brown. According to the Coach, it will all depend on who is swinging the hot club.

“It’s not only how each is playing leading up to the match; there is a lot that goes into deciding who will play on a specific day,” Forbes said. “We collect a lot of data on the kids as we practice a lot at the Bellingham country Club, our home course. Things that go into the thought process will be where are we playing, what type of course it is and how individuals play on that course.”

While Bellingham will play 8 golfers per match, only six scores will count toward the final total. Much like those having a good day can be promoted or elevated in the lineup, those have a bad time can also find themselves being demoted.

“If someone is not having a particular good few days, we may drop them down to the JV team to find themselves and work on their game before teeing off again for the varsity squad,” the Coach said.

Forbes is optimistic that the Bellingham athletes will not only play their hardest but will also work at taking their game to the next level. If they can do that while continuously playing consistently, the Blackhawks just may find themselves playing in the State Tournament come the end of the season.