By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
The Fluco golf team opened its season on Aug. 3 by hosting the George Bockman Invitational at the Lake Monticello golf course. The Invitational is named in memory of George Bockman who did a host of jobs around the high school for a number of years.
The Flucos turned in a reasonable performance, finishing in the middle of the pack, fifth out of ten teams. The format is six players from each team competing and the best four scores count. This was a nine-hole tournament, with some competitors playing the front nine and some playing the back nine. High school golf is a rare co-ed sport, with the boys playing from the men’s white tees and the girls playing from the women’s red tees. Nine-hole yardage distances from the white tees are 3191 and 3105. From the red, the distances are 2613 and 2438.
The Flucos had a balanced performance in the Invitational with their four best scores ranging from 39 to 49. Leading the way was number two player Will Bishop who shot 39, one stroke better than number one player Mason Chiovaro. The top girl on the Fluco team, Kessler Potter, was next with a 46. Number four on the team, Derek Addison came in at 49. The Flucos’ team score of 174 was only three strokes away from third place Lousia County. The Flucos trailed Jefferson District opponents Albemarle, Western Albemarle and Louisa, but topped Jefferson District teams from Monticello, Orange County and Charlottesville by large margins.
On Aug. 17, on a beautiful day for golf, the Fluco golfers, under new Coach Wiley House, hosted teams from Wilson Memorial in Stanardsville and Western Albemarle in Crozet at the Lake Monticello course. This time the Flucos finished last, but the competition was much stronger. The individual scores posted by the Flucos’ top four were very similar to the scores they posted in the Invitational. Will Bishop was again the low Fluco with a 39. He was followed by Chiovaro who turned in a 41. Potter knocked three strokes off her score in the Invitational, finishing with a 43. Addison slipped, but by only two strokes, coming in a 51. The Fluco team score of 174 was identical to the teams’ score in the Invitational.
Coach House said that after five matches (the football team played its first game on Aug. 25) the players average scores for nine holes are as follows: for the top four competitors, Chiovaro and Bishop 40, Potter 43 and Addison 49. Four players averaging between 80 and 100 is good in high school golf. Other members of the team have averages from 58 up.
