Nantucket Golf Places Third In Willowbend Invitational

The Whaler varsity golf team will be heading to Sterling, Massachusetts for the Div. 3 state championship on Monday, October 30, but before the weekend they had an opportunity to participate in what could be considered a tune up for the most important 18 holes of golf they will ever play.

The boys participated in the Willowbend Invitational on Cape Cod, earning a third place finish amongst a tournament consisting of 12 varsity golf teams from across the Cape & Islands.

The winner was Cape Cod Academy (228) followed by Sandwich (231) and then Nantucket (232). Whaler head coach Sam Herrick said that senior Paddy Carroll was the team’s best golfer that day and came in third out of 48 golfers.

“Paddy Carroll was the hero of the day,” Herrick said. Carroll shot a 74 followed by senior Braden Knapp who shot a 75 and senior Henry Kathawala who shot an 83.

While Nantucket was unable to defeat either CCA or Sandwich in the invitational late last week, they came away as the winners of the tiebreaker against both of those schools earlier that week in the Div. 3 south sectionals to clinch a state championship berth thanks to another impressive performance by Carroll, who is playing some of his best golf at the right time.

Carroll struggled to start in the sectional tournament and shot a 50 through the first nine holes before grinding out an excellent back nine and shooting a 39 to end his day. 

The Whaler golfers participating in the state championship will be the same as the ones who participated in the south sectional: Braden Knapp, Henry Kathawala, Ryan Davis, Cole Chambers, Paddy Carroll, and Colby O’Keefe. Herrick said senior Michael Culkins has continued to support and push his teammates at practice.

Herrick hopes Carroll, as well as his teammates, have more magic in them on Monday. Stay tuned for updates as they become available on how the team performs.