Photo Credit: Scott Osborne

By Lexxington Taylor and Langston Todd

Features Editor and Back Page Editor

The Hammond Golf Team kicked off the 2024 season with strong performances against some very good teams. On September 24th, the boys team successfully clinched the East Side Iron Skillet for the fourth year in a row with a win over Oakland Mills and Guilford Park. In the most recent match on October 2, the golf team faced Guilford Park and Long Reach, one of the top golfing schools in the county. The Hammond boys team beat Long Reach on their home course by only one stroke; 55-54, under pretty strenuous conditions. The girls team pushed through and tried their best, however the other teams managed to squeak ahead, putting the girls team in last place. 

Coach Scott Osborne stated that they were by no means the best team in the county, recognizing the fact that the River Hill and Marriott’s Ridge teams are “playing D1 golf.” However, he aimed for the boys team to come second in the division. 

While the boys team is more of a competing team, the girls team has more of a laid back vibe. “We’re all a lot less competitive than the boys team,” senior member Annika Vallurupalli said in an interview. “We’re really in it just for fun, we all really just enjoy going out to the course.” 

With a boys 7-3 record and girls 0-10 record, the Hammond golfers moved on to the County Championship on October 17th.  

Annika talked about a unique shift in the girls team. “The team had mostly been built off of seniors who were really good and now they all left,” Vallurupalli said. “There are a lot of new people who haven’t played as much, and so they aren’t that skilled.” However, she outlines that the girls team is more of a place for improvement and progression and for those who want to build their skills, and aren’t solely focused on competition like the boys team. 

Coach Osborne highlighted some star players on the boys team, such as junior John Louie, sophomore Dosh Ball, and senior Jackson Wilder. He really wanted to mention Mason Walls, who is going to the County championship. “He’s been on the Iron Skillet winning team all four years,” said Coach Osborne, “so that’s something special.”

Both Coach Osborne and Vallurupalli talked about how there is a lot to be hyped about with Hammond Golf. With a couple of key matches coming up, and with the winning of the East Side Iron Skillet, Osborne said that “It’s just nice, going into each of our matches, going around the game knowing that there’s a team that we can get a good run at.” Despite the 0-10 record, Vallurupalli mentioned that “it’ll be fun to see if anyone wants to just see that progression because I think that’ll be really fun to see.”

But all in all, Coach Osborne said, “Don’t sleep on Hammond golf this year.”