FOXBORO — There was only one putt left to sink. However, there was a heavy sense of pressure weighing in.
Reid Ohanesian wasn’t just looking to accomplish a personal goal. He was hoping to deliver his school a state championship.
After a quick breath, the junior capped his outing by finishing 3-over-par, earning the honor of tournament medalist as Ayer Shirley clinched the 2024 Div. 3 golf title Monday at Foxboro Country Club.
“I told my coach that I was worrying about trying to do good today the entire round,” Ohanesian said. “I focused on my putting. My putting was really good today, and I think that’s one of the reasons why I came out on top.”
Despite a perfect day weather-wise, 80 participants grappled with Foxboro’s tricky terrain. The greens were slick, with veering twists. Ohanesian found his footing on his third hole. The junior birdied, and started to climb the leaderboard before pulling away on the back nine. He finished with a team-low score of 75.
“The (greens) definitely were (difficult),” said Ohanesian. “There were ridges everywhere, and if you rolled it short, they’d roll off the green. It was tough.”
Ayer Shirley was also aided by Tommy Bergin (83), Aadi Patel (85) and Jason Turner (88). The Panthers finished with a combined score of 331 (+43 par to gross).
It was the first title in program history for Ayer Shirley. Peter Gubellini has served as a history teacher while coaching at the school for years, and seen the Panthers construct their golf team from scratch. Ohanesian has been a key piece since he was in seventh grade. The mentor became emotional as the celebrations began to commence.
“We’ve been to states four years in a row now, but hadn’t won a championship,” said Gubellini. “Last year, we won the Central Mass. championship, but I don’t think that golf has ever won a state championship in our history, so it’s a first.”
Weston standout William Goldstein was the runner-up for medalist at 6-over par. Monomoy’s Hank Brown enjoyed a fantastic back nine to finish third among individuals (7-over-par), helping his program place second.
Gubellini is optimistic that even better golf lies ahead for Ayer Shirley.
“We’ve been building this thing for a while,” said Gubellini. “As it’s happened, the kids have really gotten into it, to the point where now at our high school, everybody seems to want to play golf. Two years ago, we started a girls varsity program that plays in the spring. So golf is catching on. It’s no longer a fringe sport, it’s kind of a fad now at Ayer Shirley.”
