Navarro Is MIAA Winner

From the Capital Gazette:

If there was anything else Archbishop Spalding's Chris Navarro had to
prove on the golf course, he did it this year.

Navarro, who will play at the University of Maryland, won the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association title for the second straight year and third in his four years. The Capital Gazette Communications' Private School Golfer of the Year is just the second player in MIAA history to win three league titles in a career. He won the title as a freshman, came in second by one stroke as a sophomore before winning the next two years.

"What a terrific player," Archbishop Spalding coach Pete Van Zandt said. "A great teammate and competitor. Chris is universally liked and admired throughout the MIAA, garnering the respect of both the coaches and the players."

Navarro, who shot a two-day total of 143 at the MIAA championships at Sparrows Point Country Club on April 29, won by two strokes over McDonogh's Rij Patel. Navarro also helped the Cavaliers coast to a 21-stroke victory in the team portion of the championship. The Cavaliers' team carded a total score of 599, the second-lowest total ever shot in the 33-year history of the league.

"After winning my freshman year, then losing my sophomore year…that really motivated me," Navarro said. "I really wanted to prove myself, and that motivated me to improve."

Navarro shot a 35 at the match play championships on May 16 at Caves Valley Golf Club to help the Cavaliers capture the team title with a victory over St. Paul's. Navarro and teammate Matt Starobin won six of a possible seven points to get the Cavaliers rolling toward the title.

"I definitely think there is a different strategy," said Navarro, on the difference between match and stroke play. "In stroke play, you're playing against the course and the field. In match play, the main goal is to beat your opponent and you just have to shoot a lower score."

The championship victory capped an unprecedented four-year run of success for the Spalding golf program. The class of 2015 golfers tallied a four-year, regular-season record of 31-2-1. During that time, they also won the stroke play championship twice and the match play championship twice. The Cavaliers placed four players in the top ten in the MIAA stroke play championship this year.

"This year was probably one of our more successful years. The whole team played great and we never really got down," Navarro said. "We felt like we were in control of every match. It was a good way to end the four years."

Navarro, who said he's been golfing since age 7, will spend his summer playing in as many amateur events as he can as he gets ready to play for the University of Maryland. The Davidsonville resident, who claims Crofton Country Club as his home course, is playing in the Maryland State Amateur Golf Championship this weekend.

"I want to play four good years at Maryland and see how I progress," Navarro said. "My main goal is to get better each year."