Strong Players Ponder What Could Have Been

by Jeff Nelson / Special to The Washington Post

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Any time seniors Josh Apple and Matt Wallace step on the same golf course, as they did Thursday, they think about the possibilities.

If Wallace’s family had never moved from Stone Bridge’s school district to Loudoun Valley’s two years ago, this season could have been special. Wallace and Apple, who moved to the area from Columbus, Ohio, before this season, would be teammates. And together, they would have made the Bulldogs a state contender, if not one of the few favorites.

“Before tryouts, I was thinking about it,” Wallace said of Stone Bridge’s team. “We could have had five or six guys shooting in the 70s and have a really good shot at states.”

Of course, it is hypothetical. Playing as opponents Thursday, Apple (34) got the better of Wallace (38) over nine holes at Loudoun Golf and Country Club. Wallace’s Vikings proved to be the deeper team, shooting a 148 to tie Battlefield, though Battlefield ended up winning by one stroke in a playoff. Stone Bridge (153) took third, and Stonewall Jackson (204) finished last in the four-team tournament.

Photo: Katherine Frey

Josh Apple of Stone Bridge is not happy with his shot at the 11th hole. He finished the day with a 2-over-par 74 to place third in the Cheers Invitational Golf Tournament at Algokian Golf Course in Sterling.

Wallace’s putter ruined his round, as he three-putted three holes on his home course. Still, his value to the Vikings was evident elsewhere, and his younger teammates played well enough to get the team into the playoff.

On a starting six that includes two freshmen, two sophomores and an inexperienced junior, Wallace has become “a second coach,” according to Vikings Coach Gary McKay.

“He’s our captain, and they all feed off him,” McKay said. “If I can’t be with a group, but Matt is, I know they’ll be fine.”

Wallace, who made the state tournament as a sophomore at Stone Bridge, is trying to make it again after falling a few strokes short last year. He said it can be tough balancing the need to focus on his game with his role as a mentor to teammates. But he’s happy where he is, regardless of the “what if he had stayed at Stone Bridge” question.

“I like being in this role, trying to be a leader and trying to show these kids [how things are done], developing them into good golfers down the road,” he said.

Apple has the same goal as Wallace — making the state tournament as an individual, while also leading his team there. He missed qualifying for Ohio’s state tournament by one stroke last year.

“I think I can do it,” he said. “I practiced all summer and got my handicap below zero, and I’ve been shooting under par.”

As for his team, Apple said: “Certainly with [Wallace], we’d be very, very good. But I’ve been impressed with how we’ve played.”

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks