MATTAPOISETT — The last time Old Rochester Golf Course won a the state championship was held in 2022 This was when cousins Philip le Gassick and Markus Pierre were seniors.
Now it’s their younger brothers’ turn to try to do the same.
They got off to a good start.
The undefeated Bulldogs passed their biggest test of the season so far on Wednesday afternoon, beating Bishop Stang 224-238 behind the play of senior Peter Le Gassick and sophomore Luke Pierre.
The cousins both shot 33, or 2 under par, at the Bay Club.
“What they’re doing on a personal level is just tremendous,” Old Rochester head coach Chris Cabe said. “Those are the best two scores I’ve seen in a single round for us since I’ve been coaching here.”
“It shows how much work they put in. They are experienced and the more experience you have, the better you become. The younger ones are usually the best in any sport.”
Golf is not just a hobby for the Le Gassick and Pierre families; it is a lifestyle.
“That’s all we do,” Peter le Gassick said. “We live and breathe golf. My mom grew up on a golf course and I grew up on a golf course.
“I think I had played 18 holes by the time I was 5. Most kids would give up after three holes, but I was playing and my parents were encouraging me. I’m glad they did because it worked out pretty well.”
Luke Pierre added: “We are a big golfing family. There is a lot of competition.”
Pierre said he had been trying to beat Le Gassick’s scores this season and came close Wednesday when he shot under par for the first time.
“It was the first time I ever balanced, so it’s pretty cool,” Pierre said. “I made a few putts. Some of them even fell in.”
“It’s a great rivalry. We came into the day thinking we had to come out and play some really good golf.”
Cabe added: “He had 37 and 35, but the fact that he went under par was huge, especially for his age, being a sophomore.”
It was the third time this season that Le Gassick had shot under par.
“He’s really focused right now,” Cabe said. “The way he’s playing is unbelievable.”
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Cabe said he looks forward to facing Stang (6-3, 2-1 CCL) every year in a matchup featuring two of the area’s top golf teams.
“That was our yardstick to see where we could go,” he said. “It was the same thing last year. That’s where we really wanted to see what we could do this year in pressure golf situations. So far, so good; we’re up to par.”
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Old Rochester and Bishop Stang have won two of the last three Division 2 state titles, with the Spartans winning in 2021 and the Bulldogs winning the following year.
“This is our third year playing together. We should play together,” Bishop Stang head coach Tom Kennedy said. “They’re competitive and a lot of my players play here in the summer and some of them live here so they know each other. It’s good. It’s a good rivalry.”
In addition to Le Gassick and Pierre, the Bulldogs received contributions from Logan Franco (38) and Connor Galligan (38).
The Spartans were led by Matt Oliveira (36), Talbot Lown (37), Jeremiah Matos (39), Harrison Tingley Prince (41), Bianca Ligotti (42) and JJ Podkowa (43).
“Since my freshman year, they’ve always been a great team to play against,” Oliveira said. “They’ve had a lot of good players and so have we. It’s really exciting every time we play them.”
This article was originally published on Standard-Times: Undefeated Old Rochester Golf Team Beats Bishop Stang in Rivalry Match
