MCC golf team has some lofty aspirations
BY MIKE McDONALD
Staff Writer

The Middlesex County College golf team has enjoyed one of its finest seasons in school history this spring, and is looking forward to the postseason.

With their solid play during the regular season, the Colts managed to finish in fourth place in Region 19, which consists of portions of Delaware and Pennsylvania, and all of New Jersey.

Head coach James Kahora said he is very pleased with his team’s play this spring.

"This is the best team I have coached in 32 years at Middlesex County College," he said. "This team has good talent and loves to play golf."

Kahora’s goal in the beginning of the season was to make the regional tournament, which will be held in Delaware. Now that they’ve qualified, Kahora has his eyes on a bigger goal.

"We are a good enough team to make it to the national tournament," he said.

Just what has his team done to warrant such confidence? For one, Kahora believes his team’s depth can carry it a long way.

"Most teams have only two players that shoot well. We have four players that shoot in the 80s. This depth can be a major strength for us," Kahora said.

The six players that Middlesex County College carries to matches are Bryan Hoffman of South Amboy, Ryan Lieberum of Princeton, Robert Munnawwar of Plainsboro, Chris Owsik of Sayreville, Justin Rohrig of Monroe and San Yoo of Highland Park. Also making contributions over the course of the season for the team were Edison’s Ali Attar, Colonia’s Michael Beyer and South Plainfield’s Frank Gaspari and Michael Jankowski.

Although the Colts did not play "up to par" last week at High Bridge Hills Golf Course in Clinton, the team played well this past weekend at the Middlesex Tournament in Cranbury. Justin Rohrig shot a 76 to lead the team — the lowest score of any Middlesex County College’s golfer for the year. He also topped off his day with a hole-in-one.

The golf team has also been led this year by Yoo, who averages a team-low 83. Lieberum and Munnawwar also frequently shoot in the 80s to help Middlesex County College get much-needed points.

Kahora says the one area that he would like to see improvement from his team comes in its number of low scores.

"Although we have four golfers that score in the 80s, our lowest scores outside of Rohrig’s 76 do not get into the 70s," he said. "Golf is a rather simple game. The lower your score, the better the chance of victory."

However, those who have followed this golf team closely know that when the Colts are on top of their game, they can be as good as any team in the region. The key for future success during this highly competitive time of year will be for the team to remain poised and play its game.

They do not need one player to try to shoot a 70, but rather the team as a whole to shoot in the low 80s, as it has done consistently this season.

Kahora has a lot of confidence in his team. And when a coach of 32 years is excited about his team’s chances to make it to the national tournament, it is time for everyone else to get excited, too.