[Baltimore Sun] South Carroll golf wins county title; medalist Patrick Carl edges out teammate Josh Vendemia in playoff
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Looking forward to the challenge of defending their Class 2A/1A state championship, South Carroll golf couldn’t have been in a better position Thursday as they faced off some tough competition in the Carroll County championship.
The Cavaliers fought off a Manchester Valley team that has been playing some great golf, a Century squad coming off an amazing districts performance and the county’s fourth state qualifying team, Westminster, to take home the county championship.
South Carroll totaled a 311, beating out Manchester Valley’s 329.
“It was a great day for our kids,” South Carroll coach Matthew Joseph said. “I think it’s a testament to the work they’ve put in and the progress everyone on the team has made.”
While the sun was out at the Links at Challedon Golf Course in Mount Airy, it’s presence was misleading as the golfers had to battle cold temperatures and windy conditions to see who would come out on top.
“The conditions were tougher than I thought,” South Carroll’s Patrick Carl said. “It looked like a nice day out, and it was, but it was cold, it was windy, the greens were super firm.”
The Cavaliers victory wasn’t without some slight drama as Joseph saw two of his golfers fighting for the top individual spot. In the end, Carl defeated teammate Josh Vendemia in a playoff after both shot a 76 on the day.
“It felt like every other day when we play together,” Vendemia said. “We’re always going head to head, trying to push each other and see who comes out on top.”
With their talent surprising no one, both golfers showed grit Thursday, fighting off some slight moments of adversity to bounce back and excel. Carl shook off a triple bogey on one hole, fighting off the weather and a bad stretch of play all at once.
“I knew I wasn’t going to let one bad hole or one bad moment define me,” Carl said. “I never lost confidence and just played through it.”
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Vendemia fought through some personal adversity to show up Thursday and play some of his best golf of the season. After narrowly missing out at qualifying for states individually, the senior came back laser focused, earning himself one of the top spots in the county.
“It feels a little bit better,” Vendemia said. “I definitely got stronger mentally, staying more positive on the course, a little more positive and more talkative.”
Joseph knows that Vendeima is just one of several players he can throw out on any given day with the depth the program has been blessed with in recent years.
“The whole team’s been so solid, and they all push each other,” he said. “The team is super deep. We have a great four that we’re taking to states, but we honestly had about seven or eight good golfers and hard workers to choose from on a day to day.”
Carl vs. Vendemia wasn’t the only battle in what was a great display of golf for the county. In a playoff for third place individually, Manchester Valley’s Jackson Streett defeated Westminster standout Luke DiDio.
“Jackson’s been playing great the last two weeks,” Manchester Valley coach Kyle Walker said. “He has so much confidence in himself and it’s because he’s been putting in work since June, so it was nice to see him experience the benefits of that hard work.”
The work doesn’t stop as the county will be well represented at states later this month. South Carroll, Manchester Valley, Westminster and Century will all send full teams, while Libert’s Ben Davidson and Gavin Speace will join two-time state qualifier McKenna Lanza of Francis Scott Key as individual qualifiers.
“The county’s golfers are so great and this area has a lot to offer,” Joseph said. “It pushes us and makes us work harder throughout the year.
Team Results
South Carroll (311), Manchester Valley (329), Westminster (341), Century (354), Liberty (359), Francis Scott Key (377), Winters Mill (386)
Individual results
Patrick Carl (SC) 76, Josh Vendemia (SC) 76, Jackson Streett (MV) 78, Luke DiDo (W) 78, Chase Loden (SC) 79.
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