After falling four strokes back on the first day of the 3A golf state championship, George Murphy addressed his team later that night.
“I was just talking to them, telling them every year we’ve had guys step up when we needed them to,” said the Park City High School golf head coach. “After that, I kind of had a good feeling about how the (next) day was going to go.”
Spot-on assessment by the head coach.
His Miners obliterated the golf course and the competition on the second day of the tournament at Sunbrook Country Club in St. George on Tuesday. A day after shooting a combined 301, Park City shot a 284, a score that Murphy said was probably the lowest score any Miner team has ever shot at a tournament.
Park City won the 3A championship with a combined 585, followed by Desert Hills (605), Judge Memorial (622) and Wasatch (637) on the par-72 course.
This represents the third straight 3A state title for Park City. In the last four seasons, the Miners have finished second, followed by a three-peat against some of the state’s best teams.
“It ended up being an awesome day,” Murphy said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better performance. Three of our four players were under par. Our fourth was just three over.”
Of the top six individuals honored at the state tournament every year, Park City finished with four.
Senior Michael Coopman ran away from the pack Tuesday, finishing with a tournament-low 68, which resulted in a combined 143 and earned the Miner the 3A individual state medalist title.
Fellow Miners such as Matt Vanleeuwen and Justin Shluker, who shot a 70 and 71 on the afternoon, helped lead Park City back from a disappointing first day in which they finished four strokes back of Judge.
Shluker and Vanleeuwen finished tied for third overall with a combined score of 147, while Brian Schwerin finished fifth with a combined score of 148.
“We were 16 over par on the last three holes on the first day combined,” Murphy said. “We kind of just choked at the end. Coming into the second day, we had that pressure. It was cool to watch, for sure.”
Murphy went on to note that it’s the depth of his team that always proves pivotal down the stretch in such close tournaments.
“Everything was clicking,” he said. “Hopefully we can continue on with it into next year.”
In sports, a three-peat should not be taken lightly.
“It feels good,” said Murphy in regard to his third straight state title win. “It feels legitimate. There’s no real arrogance about it. (Park City’s) there every single year.”
The future is bright for this Miners squad as Shluker, just a sophomore, will spearhead a young, impressive team next season. Murphy said the team is “sitting pretty” for next year.
“I think we’re setting a good tradition,” he said.
When asked what word he would use to describe his team’s third-straight 3A trophy, the Park City head coach responded simply:
“Sweet.”