LA GRANDE — With an experienced, close-knit team, the La Grande boys golf program is aiming to translate a strong regular season into postseason success.

Coming off a team qualification into the Class 4A state championships after placing second in the 4A Special District 4 tournament, the Tigers aim to close out the state meet with a high team placement.

“Our team scores have been improving over the year and I think we’re lining up to pop off at state,” golfer Jack Sunderman said. “We have a strong possibility of doing better than teams think we’ll do.”

La Grande scored a combined total of 724 at the 4A Special District 4 meet in its second-place win, securing the team a trip to the 4A state championships, which began on Monday, May 16, and concludes May 17. The competition is at Quail Valley Golf Course in Banks.

The Tigers earned two top-five individual placements as well, with Tristen Shepherd taking fourth at 168 and John Remily placing fifth at 174. Remily said his season has been about consistency and improving from match to match.

“I think for me, it’s taking everything shot by shot and working on everything I’ve learned over the season,” he said.

La Grande performed admirably at the district meet, but the weather conditions were far from ideal. The meet, held in Ontario, was hampered by hail, rain and wind on Monday, May 9, the first day of competition, severely skewing the scores and creating difficult playing conditions.

“The first day was just rough for everybody,” golfer Thomas Conklin said. “On the second day, everybody was really starting to feel it and get in a better rhythm.”

He noted that unpredictable weather in Eastern Oregon allows the Tigers to be versatile and play their best game in any conditions.

“No one else in the state probably saw weather like that in mid-May,” Sunderman said. “Going through adversity like that makes our team stronger and makes everyone better at golf.”

During the days between the district and state meets, the team honed in on some final adjustments. For the majority of La Grande’s golfers, short game and chipping were the areas of focus heading into the season finale.

“We just try to stay really calm and have the confidence to know you’ve hit enough shots and played enough golf throughout the year,” Sunderman said. “I try to treat it like it’s no different from any other tournament.”

While any given day of golf can vary, La Grande’s golfers are looking to rely on consistency and teamwork to place highly.

“We’re all going to strive for first, but we’re just trying to perform our best with whatever the conditions may be,” Conklin said.

“I think we’re all going to play really well,” Remily said. “If we’re all in that 80s range we’ll be good. Shooting around 350 or below would be perfect for state.”