Briar Woods Learns Its Lessons the Hard Way

By Paul Tenorio

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Going into the AA state golf tournament this week at Fincastle Country Club in Bluefield, Va., Briar Woods had looked nothing but strong in team competition.

The Falcons had gone undefeated in match play and had captured the Dulles District and Region II tournament championships. Top golfer Michael Birmingham had won the individual titles in both tournaments.

But on Monday and Tuesday, the Falcons learned they still have room to grow, Coach Bob Vitti said. Briar Woods finished seventh of eight teams, with a team score of 483, 45 shots behind first-place Blacksburg and 10 shots from a third-place finish.

“They had a lot of fun, and beyond the fun they learned that there are other golfers their age that are not just better but far better,” Vitti said. “There’s nobody dragging their chin right now about [finishing seventh]. They’re all happy with the experience. But they’ve learned there is a higher level to attain, and now we just have to figure out how to get there.”

The Falcons were in last place after the first day but settled into a more comfortable zone Tuesday and were shooting much-improved rounds when rain delayed and then halted the tournament after 27 holes.

Many players said that they had to work out first-day jitters Monday but that playing the course once and learning how to play certain shots helped prepare them for the second day.

“I was just more calm [on Tuesday] and I had already played the course,” said Briar Woods junior Spencer Burcak, who finished second on the team with a score of 120. “I knew where to hit the ball and what kind of shots to hit.”

Briar Woods was led by Birmingham, who shot a 118, Burcak and junior Robbie Mitchell (122). Sophomore John Howard (129) and juniors Carl Brendes (136) and Ethan Ochs (138) rounded out the scoring for the Falcons.

Vitti said he was proud of the team for reaching the state tournament in the school’s third year. Birmingham echoed that thought and said he hoped to see Briar Woods use the lesson they learned this year to prepare for next.

“We learned we have to practice harder, longer, more,” Birmingham said, his teammates echoing their agreement in the background. “I do believe we’ll get back to states. But how far we get in states will depend on how hard we work.”

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks