SouthCoast Schools Dominate Golf Division 2 State Championship

The Division 2 Golf State Championship took place at a fog-filled Maplegate Country Club in Bellingham Tuesday.

Old Rochester's golf coach Chris Cabe knew it was going to come down to Bishop Stang and the Bulldogs.

"The best golf tends to come out of the south, and Stang and Duxbury had similar scores to ours, so we knew Stang would be in the mix," Cabe said.

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What he didn't know was just how close those scores would be.

"Golf is funny," Cabe said. "Unlike other sports, you really don't know the score as the day is progressing.  We ask the kids out on the course how they're doing, but there's really no official score until it's over."

Surprisingly, Cabe says the thick fog was not much of a factor for the golfers themselves, but more of an issue for the ball spotters out on the course, as they couldn't see the ball coming off the tee.

"The wind was calm. It was actually an ideal day to play golf," Cabe said.

At the conclusion of play, as they were tallying the scores, Cabe was hoping his Bulldogs were close to the top -- and they were.  When the official numbers were released, Bishop Stang had shot an impressive 303, while the Bulldogs pulled off a 302 for the razor-thin win.

The state championship was determined by just one stroke.

Cabe tipped his cap to Phillip le Gassick, who shot a 3 under par.

"He's our gamer. I'd give him the tournament MVP because every tournament we've had this year -- the South Sectionals, the SouthCoast Conference Tournament and now the State Finals -- he's gone and shot a 70 or better. He really steps up in those big tournaments."

However, Cabe was quick to point out that it is much more than just one golfer who got it done.

"You need four out of your six golfers to come in with those low scores. We needed scores in the mid-70s."

Old Rochester will lose three or four golfers from this championship squad, but Cabe says he has some younger golfers who are waiting in the wings ready to take over and keep the program moving forward.

The state championship trophy will take its place in what is becoming a rather crowded trophy case on Marion Road in Mattapoisett.