Golf

John Lay had April 6 circled on his calendar, the day of his first tournament as head coach of the Middlesex County College golf team. That day came and went, however, without Lay ever stepping foot on the course because his inaugural tournament was cancelled because of rain. The extra week long wait was worth it as Lay tasted victory in his first match at the helm of the Colts. On April 13, at the Ash Brook Golf Course, a course Lay is very familiar with, the Colts were pitted against a number of their Region 19 foes. Taking the top four individual scores from each team, MCC finished with 329 total strokes combined, a single stroke lower than the two second-place teams. "We won by one shot, believe it or not," said Lay who played golf at Westfield High School and later Virginia Wesleyan College. "It was very, very close." "The kids have been practicing well the past three to four weeks. We played a couple practice rounds at Ash Brook and they went out and performed well, especially Frank [Petry] and Mike [Holman]. It's just the way it worked out." Petry led the Colt foursome with a team best 76, four shots over par at Ash Brook. His round was also good for second best among all golfers at the tournament. "[Petry's] got a good swing," Lay said. "He really takes a great interest in the game and tries really hard and has improved quite a bit the past year. He's hitting off the tee and getting the ball in play right away." Holman (76), Kyle Drost (85) and Vince Desario (89) completed the Colts' quartet. Before coming to MCC, Lay taught lessons at Ash Brook and later adult golf schools in Westfield and Cranford. After giving over 1,000 lessons in his time at those courses, Lay made the adjustment to the college level for the first time in his career, an easy transition for someone who serves as a golf professional for four years. "At the college level, there's much more [advanced teaching]," said Lay. "People at adult schools, you teach them how to stand and hold a club and that kind of stuff. It's an easy transition." On May 6, the Colts will play in the Garden State Athletic Conference tournament at High Bridge Hills Golf Club. They will also take part in the Region XIX Tournament at the Cape May National Golf Club May 11-12.