Despite windy conditions, the Turlock High boys golf team beat Gregori Wednesday afternoon at the Turlock Golf and Country Club in their first league game of the season. The win continued the Bulldogs’ hot streak winning back-to-back tournaments in Merced and Oakland.

The Bulldogs are coming off a historic season last year that saw numerous golfers earn All-League accolades en route to their 15th league championship in 17 years. Turlock returned a lot of key players this season after only graduating two seniors last year and are looking to repeat their success.

On Wednesday, the Bulldogs were led by sophomore Clark Van Gaalen with a score of 68. Christian Maggard wasn’t too far behind with a score of 72. Nehal Gill and Harry Clark also contributed with respective scores of 80.

Van Gaalen was named the Junior Golf Association of Northern California’s Boys Player of the Year as a freshman after completing one of the best seasons by a player in the organization’s history. He was also honored as the JGANC points champion and received the award for low stroke average after winning nine overall and 10 age-group titles on the circuit.

The conditions were windy on the links Wednesday, but the Bulldogs persevered to stay focused during the match. They were able to lean on their teamwork and the performance of their top players to win 383-471.

“The kids did a great job today,” said head coach Jason Boswell. “We had windy conditions and they really stepped up. Really proud of their performance. The nice thing is they can shoot even lower as a team.”

The Bulldogs are going to need to rely on that teamwork as they get ready to play two tournaments in the coming weeks. They play in the Gary Roving Invitational on March 21 at Copper Ridge and the Crosstown Cup on March 28 at the Turlock Golf and Country Club.