Posted: April 26, 2010 |(0) Comments

New Berlin — With his entire starting lineup back from a year ago, New Berlin West boy golf coach Steve Murdock came into this season with high expectations.

So high that a trio of top-two finishes to open the 2010 campaign hasn't quite cut it.

Don't get Murdock wrong. He's pleased his squad won the second Woodland Conference mini meet April 22 after taking second in one two days earlier, and he's thrilled his squad was the runner-up at the Oakwood Invitational on Saturday, second only to state power Racine St. Catherine's.

But Murdock is expecting just a tad more.

Room for improvement

"Believe it or not, we haven't met our expectations," he said. "I'm not just saying the coaches' expectations, but our expectations as a team. We're happy with our finishes, but we believe we can play better. Pretty much everyone other than (Tyler) Ehlers is not happy with the way they're hitting the ball. We're able to grind out some good scores with nice chipping and putting, but we can play better."

A year ago, the Vikings won the now-defunct Woodland North Division and eventually placed third in the sectional. Austin Brzeski, now a junior, advanced to the state tournament, and fellow junior Beau Gundersen just missed a state berth.

Murdock hopes to match, and improve on, those results this spring. The Vikings want to win the Woodland West, claim the title at the conference tournament next month and advance to the state tournament as a team for the first time since 2006.

"That's one of our goals," Murdock said of a possible state appearance. "We certainly have the ability to do that. It will be a combination of things: continuing to improve and hit our peak, but we also have a very tough regional and sectional. … There's no reason why we can't be right there in the mix.

"I didn't have any seniors last year. I have all my guys back. I give my guys credit. They work really hard during the summer. They played five to seven rounds a week, at a minimum. They have a lot of ability and they work hard."

Strong showing at Oakwood

That hard work has paid immediate dividends. At the 12-team Oakwood Invite, the Vikings finished seven strokes behind champion St. Catherine's 316. Ehlers, a senior, tied for second with a 2-over-par 74 and was followed closely by teammates Tyler Savignac's 80 and Brzeski's 81.

That effort came one day after West won a Woodland mini at Brown Deer with a 160, seven strokes better than runner-up Whitnall and 13 strokes better than fourth-place Greendale, the winner of the first mini on April 20.

Ehlers was the medalist with a 37 and Brzeski tied for third with a 39.

The league played a mini at Deer Creek on Tuesday and West hosts another at New Berlin Hills on Thursday.

In the season opener, Ehlers was the medalist once again with another 37 as the Vikings took second with a 163, five strokes behind Greendale.

"Tyler's had a really successful past three years and he takes his game very seriously," Murdock said. "He takes a lot of lessons and really analyzes things. What I see in him this year, he's just managing his game better. He's matured to the point where he's not forcing things. He knows what the course or the hole is giving him and he takes it. He has simplified his approach and that's helped him lower his scores."

More links

EISENHOWER: The Lions got out to a rough start in league play with a fifth-place finish in the mini at Whitnall Park on April 20, and a sixth-place slot two days later at Brown Deer Park. … The Lions bounced back to take fourth of 12 teams at the Oakwood Invite on Friday.

MUSKEGO: Despite a meet-medalist effort of 44 from Franklin's Nick Cervantes, Muskego won its season opener, 185-187, at Tuckaway on April 19. … … the Warriors struggled to ninth at Oakwood on Friday … Muskego bounced back for third of eight teams at the Carey Venne Skins and Scramble at Edgewood.