DALTON -- It may be a sign of just how far the Drury golf team has come in the last two years, where even after a win, the players aren’t particularly thrilled with how they played.
Take Tuesday’s match with Wahconah Regional at the Wahconah Country Club, for example. The Blue Devils did card a 187-194 win over the Warriors. The victory improved Drury’s record to a nifty 3-1 and Alex Boulger was medalist with a 5-over 42 on the back nine. While his round started with a par and ended with a birdie, he had four bogeys and a double-bogey in the middle of it.
"The only thing that hurt me today was putting. I just couldn’t read the green. It was so tough," said Boulger, who had four bogeys and a double-bogey 6 on the 11th hole.
"My woods came out today. I’ve been driving bad all year," he said. "I’ve been hitting irons off tees. Today, I finally took out my driver and it paid off."
The 11th hole was a real problem for Boulger, who made it to the green on the par-4 hole in regulation. He missed a par opportunity and settled for a double bogey.
"I was on in regulation for seven out of the nine greens," said the only senior in the Drury lineup. "I just couldn’t putt."
The 3-1 record for the Blue Devils means they have most of the season to equal last year’s total. Drury handed Wahconah its first loss as the Warriors fall to 3-1.
"Being as young as we were, we
Drury coach Don Dagnoli’s team had won four matches in the last two years combined and did not win anything two seasons ago. He said the rebuilding process is coming along, and he credits his No. 1 and 2 players for that.
"It all starts with Alex and Matt [Lawrence]," said Dagnoli, who has only one senior on a team that was winless two years ago. "They promote the program. They’re great kids. Everybody’s sort of bought into it and everybody’s working hard.
"We’re just trying to get better every day."
It was not the greatest of days for anyone on the back nine, as there were five rounds of 50 or more recorded.
Lawrence is Drury’s No. 1 player, and he finished with a 45. The junior said that the win over Wahconah was a nice milestone victory.
"It’s a very nice win. We needed it," he said, "especially on the road. In the future we’re going to do better, but in the last few years, we’ve struggled on the road."
Lawrence’s 45 was the second-best round of the day. Perhaps befitting the fact that the Blue Devils are 3-1, the junior said he wasn’t very happy with how he played.
"No, not at all," he said. "I probably three-putted maybe six holes. The greens were tough to read, tough to figure it out."
Dagnoli and Wahconah coach Pete Terpak would probably agree to one thing -- none of the scores were particularly good. Wahconah’s best score belonged to Mitch Salvini, who shot a 46. Freshman Nick Bator, who played out of the No. 5 position for Drury, helped decide the match with a 49. He was one of only three Blue Devils to shoot under 50.
"We can definitely trust our guys under us, our three, four, five and six," said Lawrence. "If one of them has a bad round, our five man shot a 49, helped us win."
The Blue Devils can equal last year’s win total today with a home victory against Hoosac Valley at the North Adams Country Club.
"We’re very pleased with where we are," said Dagnoli, quickly adding what every coach from Bill Belichick to Nick Saban says. "We’re just taking it one match at a time. That’s all."
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