The 2016-17 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Boys Golf Teams were selected based on performance and level of competition primarily at the high school level.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Eugene Hong, Circle Christian (Winter Park, Fla.)
MORE: First Team | Second Team
COACH PROFILE:
Name: Tim Sewnig
School: Christian Brothers Academy (Lincroft, N.J.)
The Christian Brothers Academy golf team had waited four years since it last won a state championship. That might not seem that long, but it’s an eternity when you consider that CBA’s rival — (Oradell, N.J.) Bergen Catholic — won it all in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
But on a rainy day in late May at Hopewell Valley Golf Club in Hopewell, N.J., the Colts took back the team title, becoming only the fourth team to break 300 total since 2000 to edge the rival Crusaders by five shots.
“On the bus to the course this morning the players were all talking about how low they could go on this course,’’ Sewnig told Gannett partner The Asbury Park Press after the championship meet. “I think part of that was an awareness that Bergen Catholic had shot 284 last year, and if we were going to beat them we were going to have to go low.’’
New Jersey combines its Group tournaments with its Tournament of Champions so the Colts won the Meet of Champions and the Non-Public A crown on the same day. They also had the individual champion as sophomore Jack Wall beat teammate Chris Gotterup in a playoff after the two tied for medalist honors with a 71. Junior Brendan Hansen was a shot behind with a 72. That gave CBA the top three spots among Non-Public A golfers and three of the top six in the overall Meet of Champions.
Christian Brothers was 16-0 in dual matches for the season and won the only two tournaments it entered during the regular season—the Monmouth County Tournament and the Shore Conference Tournament.
Sewnig has coached the Colts since 1994. He teaches religious studies and is the campus minister at the school.