John Jay Golfers Ready for the Postseason

CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - After a string of solid seasons, Coach Artie Blank knows he’s in rebuilding mode. But Blank still feels good about putting up a .500 season so far and about to tee off at Mount Kisco Country Club on Monday, May 13, Kenny Irving was equally satisfied with his best performance this year.

“I was even at Winged Foot last week,” said the senior before facing Horace Greeley.

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Not bad, the hockey player has a 2.8 differential (above par), and while Mount Kisco isn’t home ice, Irving was ready with a game plan.

“I have to manage my shots off the tee and putt well because the greens are pretty fast,” he reasoned.

A path Irving is already on.

“I’ve been driving the ball well this year and my putting is getting better,” he said.

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The sectionals just ahead, the golfer wants to keep playing well, and no doubt Declan Goldrick has the same agenda. A two over par at Carmel recently says as much and was definitely not below board, according to the junior. “It felt good about it," he said, “my best round.”

The straight and narrow gets the credit, according to the Wolf. “My drives can be a bit wild, but this year I’ve straightened them out,” Goldrick said.

Of course, like most golfers, the short game can be a runaround. “Some days I’m good, and some days I’m not,” he said of his putting skills.

The entire John Jay girls golf team doesn’t even try to sugarcoat the pain. “I don’t like putting,” said Abby Armour, who is the lone female Wolf in the field.

It was the family alpha that got her on the course, though. “I started playing golf with my dad four years ago,” she said.

A competition that she loves, but the junior concedes that achieving the family honors over dad will have to wait.

“That’s a pretty big goal,” she joked.

Fitting in among the boys, on the other hand, has been pretty straightforward.

“They are all very nice,” Armour assured.

The case even when strengths and weaknesses don’t see eye to eye. “My putting is pretty good,” said John Becker.

For him, it’s a matter of putting in the work. A mat in my basement, he said, “I practiced a lot over the winter.”

But there’s no gimmes in competitive golf, and he knows why with good reason. “Yes,” he said. “It’s painful when you miss a short one.”

Conversely, Becker admits that he hasn’t been hitting long well so far but will have his eyes on the board going into the postseason. “I just want to finish with low scores,” he concluded.

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