After a strong 2011-2012 season, Andover Golf looks to defeat its rival Deerfield this season with the help of two new recruits that will contribute to the top of the ladder. Newcomers Ellie Blum ’15 and Tyler Tsay ’15 have been playing well and currently lead tryout scoring. “Ellie Blum and Tyler Tsay have played very well in tryouts. They are very promising new players and will be a great addition to the Varsity lineup,” said Co-Captain John Perkins ’13. With the help of the newcomers, Andover Golf looks to improve its record this season. “We beat Exeter and Governor’s, our traditional rivals, [last season] for the first time in many years,” said Coach Brian Faulk. “We were able to win the Lovell Cup and Witherspoon Bowl for the first time in a few seasons which was an exciting highlight for the end of the year,” said Perkins. “The Lovell Cup goes to the winner of the Andover and Exeter match, while the Witherspoon Cup goes to the winner of a season long stroke play competition between Andover, Exeter and Governor’s.” Essential to Andover’s success, the team’s dynamic is anchored by many returning players from last year’s team. “Last year was good. I think that we had a good team dynamic, and we didn’t lose too many Seniors, so we’re looking pretty strong going into this year,” said Casey Durant ’14. To improve the team, Andover plans to work on consistency this season. Although the team has strong players, it is not consistent in practice or competitions. Coach Brian Faulk plans to improve the team’s mental toughness in order to make the players more consistent. “Andover’s biggest strength is that we have a lot of strong players on the team,” continued Durant. “The lineup is always very close; a different person plays at the top every time.” “We have a lot of great players this year, and I think we need to make sure that we work together as a team to reach our goals. Golf can seem like an individual sport, but the team aspect is also very important for us to be successful,” added Perkins. A strong JV team is also providing support in case of injury and will develop players for the years to come. “We have lots of new talent on JV, and that’s definitely extending the depth of team and cultivating a lot of talent to possibly go up to Varsity,” said Billy Casagrande ’15. For Coach Faulk, the biggest goals for the team are to finally defeat Deerfield and win the Andover Invitational. “This year I think we expect to have even more success than we did last year,” said Perkins. “We are looking to build on a very strong season last year, and hopefully we will beat Deerfield for the first time while I have been on the team. I think we have a great team and hopefully we will have another strong campaign.”
