CORAL GABLES ― Benjamin boys golf roared back to repeat as Palm League Championship winners once again.
The Buccaneers overcame a slow start, slowly chipping away at Ransom Everglades' lead before overtaking the Raiders on the back-nine during Monday morning's annual tournament at Miami's Biltmore golf course in Coral Gables.
As a team, Benjamin shot 280 compared to Random's 283. Oxbridge Academy finished third, shooting 289 as a team.
Andrew Tsar led Benjamin by shooting a 69 (2-under), tying Random Everglades' Cole Durham to pace the field with the lowest score. Tsar then flexed by shooting an eagle on the 18h-hole tiebreaker to win.
Tsar shot four birdies on the back nine
to lead the way, but the Buccaneers also got top-ten performances across the field from Brooks Colton, Matthew Stigliano, and Charlie Woods.
"I'm so proud of it because every tournament, somebody steps up," Benjamin head coach Toby Harbeck said. "Today was Andrew, the other day it was Charlie and Brooks."
The young but talented Ransom Everglades squad leapt to an early lead, pacing the field by as many as six shots for much of the first set of nine holes. It was not until the tournament shifted into afternoon that Benjamin began to make up ground, clawing back with Woods at one point holding the field's second-lowest score.
Colton and Stigliano, who each tied for the field's third-lowest score (70, 1-under) each birdied hole 18 to help the Buccaneers secure the victory over Random Everglades.
The Bucs were actually in third place at one point, with Oxbridge taking a one-shot lead.
You know, they're moaning and groaning a little bit about, 'I keep leaving the putts short, the greens are hard to read, blah blah blah,'" Harbeck joked. '"Okay, if you want to make the putt, you've got to get it to the hole.' We started making some putts and getting some better shots, not that our shots in the front-nine were that bad."
The comeback harkened back to the Class 1A state championship last year when Benjamin pulled off a miraculous second day that featured the team shooting 11-under to soar back into contention and win the whole thing.
Benjamin certainly had a target on its back entering Monday after having won the Palm League Championship all but one year of its existence since 2019. Last year, Woods paced the field by shooting 5-under.
"We won it last year in a little easier fashion," Harbeck said. "But, you know, I love to win our conference tournament."
Scores, placements by local golfers
Boys
1. Andrew Tsar, Benjamin (69, 2-under)
3. Brooks Colton, Benjamin (70, 1-under)
3. Matthew Stigliano, Benjamin (70, 1-under)
8. Charlie Woods, Benjamin (71, even)
8. Tucker Cullinan, Oxbridge Academy (71, even)
12. Joey Iaciofano, Oxbridge Academy (72, 1-over)
12. Clint Lewis, Benjamin (72, 1-over)
14. Kenny Klein, Oxbridge Academy (73, 2-over)
14. Ajax Lanasa, Oxbridge Academy (73, 2 over)
18. Liam Ly, St. Andrew's (74, 3 over)
Girls
5. Soleil Demers, Benjamin (72, 1 over)
6. Reese McMillan, Benjamin (73, 2 over)
9. Alex Tobias, Benjamin (74, 3 over)
12. Corinne de Nigris, Benjamin (79, 8 over)
18. Barby Lee, St. Andrew's (86, 15 over)
Alex Peterman is a high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at apeterman@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Benjamin boys golf roars back to win Palm League Championship
