Posted: Apr 18, 2023
Toms River, NJ - Monday (4/17) saw the Ocean County College golf team take a few more steps closer to their 2023 goal of a championship. Led by first club Tommy Donachy's second consecutive low round of 88, and a spectacular eagle-3 on the par 5 7th hole at Ash Brook Country Club by third man Logan Burnett from about 190 yards, the Vikings took home yet another top 5 finish. Ocean beat out host Union County College and Raritan Valley Community College, shooting a 4-man team total of 389, 4 strokes better than their previous outing, and 7 lower than the match before that.
"Our team is continually improving each and every day," said OCC Golf Head Coach Sean Fawcett. "Little by little, we're getting down to where I think we are more than capable of shooting."
The shot of the day belonged to Burnett, whose miraculous 4-hybrid from almost 200 yards out on the 7th hole helped the 1st year starter shoot his best round of the season to date. Burnett's 94 was 5 strokes better than his round the week prior at Flanders Valley Golf Course in Morris County. "I hit a low draw into the trees on the left to keep it low," explained Burnett. "I punched out with a five iron, leaving me about 186 yards to the pin. I hit a smooth 4-hybrid landing on the front range and it rolled right in like a putt."
"I was there when it happened," said Fawcett. "It looked like a terrific shot when he hit it. I didn't know that he had to punch out of the woods. I thought he'd made an albatross (aka Double Eagle-2). I've done that eight times in my life, holing-out for eagle from a fairway like that. It's like making a hole-in-one on a par 3. It's a terrific feeling. I'm very happy for Logan."
Burnett, Fawcett and the rest of the Vikings, Matt Heberling, Bryan Potter, and Jeremy Schiel hope the great shots keep coming as the team travels back up to Flanders Valley in Morris County on Wednesday, April 26 to compete at the 2023 Garden State Athletic Conference Championship. Ocean placed 3rd at the GSACs last year, with Heberling backing up '22 graduate Joshua Kerley's runner-up finish with a 10th place, All-GSAC 2nd Team showing.
"If our team can shave another 5 strokes off their scores from Monday, 3rd place could be ours again. That will keep us on our way to hopefully taking 3rd at Regions on May 15 and 16."