Old Lyme falls short in bid to capture Shoreline golf crown

New Britain — Old Lyme entered the Shoreline Conference golf tournament Tuesday blessed with enough talent to capture the title.

The Wildcats were seeded second behind favorite Portland, the reigning Division IV state champion. But, as Old Lyme coach Kirk Kaczor pointed out, that status means nothing once the tournament begins.

"You have to go out that day and play," Kaczor said while waiting near the Stanley Golf Course clubhouse for golfers to complete their rounds.

By the time the third of his five golfers walked off the course, Kaczor could tell it wasn't his team's day.

Only seniors Graham Aird and Matt McCarthy played close to expectations, firing a team-low 79 and 81, respectively. The Wildcats, who lost just one conference match during the regular season, ended up third in the overall standings.

The Wildcats had been playing well in recent matches.

"It's disappointing," Kaczor said. "We were hoping to do a little bit better and do the best that they can. Scores weren't that great overall. We've had some trouble with consistency.

"... In a tournament like this, you really need four guys to come up with a good score and play well for 18 holes. Today, we had a couple of good scores and then it dropped off from there."

Portland also faltered a bit, settling for second, but senior Nick Piersall defended his individual title, shooting an even-par 71. Coginchaug, the third seed, won the team championship.

Conditions seemed nearly ideal Tuesday with comfortable temperatures and light winds. Playing on a neutral course leveled the playing field a bit.

To prepare for the tournament, Aird made the trip to New Britain with his father on Sunday to play a round.

"We didn't come up as a team, unfortunately," Aird said. "We probably should have. The course is short. It's like you're playing target golf out there. I hit driver probably five times."

Aird was far from satisfied with his round, hoping to finish at around even par. He hit the ball fairly well but struggled around the green. He started off with a birdie on the first hole but eventually three-putted a couple of times.

He was consistent, shooting a fourover 40 on the front and four-over 39 on the back nine.

"I had too many missed putts that I really could have capitalized on," Aird said. "I didn't make that many birdie putts."

Aird placed seventh overall and McCarthy took eighth. Both golfers made All-Shoreline Conference first team. The next best Wildcat — senior Will Roberts — shot an 89.

"Graham and Matt put up some good rounds today," Kaczor said. "We just need five guys to do that."

It was a good day for Piersall. Piersall conquered the course and field, beating his nearest competitor, Coginchaug's Tyler Woodward, by four strokes.

Portland and Old Lyme will meet again with even more at stake on June 5, the date of the Division IV championship at Crestbrook Park in Watertown. The defending state champion Highlanders are first and Wildcats second in the state rankings. Coginchaug is fourth.

As both teams discovered on Tuesday, performance means more than rankings.

"We have another two weeks to get ready for the state tournament," Kaczor said. "We've got to start refocusing on that and figure out a way to try to play 18." g.keefe@theday.com