📋 League Prelims — Player Tune-Up Plans

Six players competing. Plans built from Qualification Watch - 2026 + last match (Western Christian @ Marshall Canyon, 4/23).

Matthew Hao '27 — Maintenance + Scoring Discipline

Status: Qualified (+2.3 avg). Latest +9 with 2 doubles at Marshall — uncharacteristic.

• Range (20m): Wedges from 60/80/100 — full numbers, no half-shots. Choose a comfortable short- or mid-iron. Find the flow. Work on just getting a feel and finding the center of the face again.
• Short game (15m): 5 up-and-downs from greenside rough; goal is 4/5.
• Putting (10m): Lag drill from 30–40 ft; leave nothing past 3 ft.
• Course Strategy: Google Earth Recreation Park 18. Map out the back nine par 4s; identify landing zones that avoid the most dangerous misses.
• Mental cue: You've got this!

Gus Hebert '29 — Stay in Flow

Status: Qualified (+2.3 avg). Latest +1 (clean 36 at Marshall) — peaking.

• Range (20m): Light warm-up only — don't over-tinker. Just get a feel and take it SLOW. No more than 2 balls per minute. Go through your full routine for each shot. Play imaginary holes or just focus on distance control. Hit targets.
• Short game (15m): Hammer a bajillion short putts. See the ball going in the hole from 5' or less.
• Course Strategy: Google Earth Recreation Park 18. Visualize every tee shot. Pick specific targets (a tree, a bunker edge) to commit to.
• Mental cue: Same swing, same target. Don't change a thing.

Ethan Hao '27 — One Swing Thought

Status: Qualified (+8.0 avg). Latest +7 (42, clean card) — improving but inconsistent (best 3: +5/+7/+12).

• Range (20m): Pick ONE swing thought before prelims and stick with it. Choose a comfortable iron today and groove it. Don't tinker. If a shot doesn't go as planned, just reset.
• Course management drill (15m): Map a hole — identify the bail-out side; never aim at trouble.
• Putting (10m): 3-ft pressure circle, 10 in a row.
• Course Strategy: Google Earth Recreation Park 18. Identify "Safe Zones" on the par 3s. Aim for the center of the green, regardless of the pin.
• Mental cue: Bogey is fine. Don't compound a miss.

Ben Madanski '26 — Distance Control + Trust

Status: Qualified (+8.3 avg, +8/+8/+9 — consistent!). Did not play 4/23.

• Range (20m): Wedge ladder — 50/60/70/80/90 yards, three balls each. Choose different targets and go through your routine.
• Putting (10m): 6 ft pressure + speed on long putts.
• Course Strategy: Google Earth Recreation Park 18.
• Mental cue: Bogey is fine. Don't compound a miss.

Michael Albornoz '26 — Damage Control

Status: Bubble (+28 best 3). Latest +19 (54 with 3 DB / 2 TB / 1 QB at Marshall) — big numbers are the kryptonite

• Range (20m): Gotta work on tee shots. There are some long par 4s out there, but they are wide open. Let's work on a cruise control (80% effort) driver swing.
• Trouble drill (20m): Drop balls in rough/sand/behind tree — punch out, don't be a hero. Goal: every recovery → bogey or better. (If you can't do this at practice, pretend. Up on the range, you can pretend there's a tree in front of you.)
• Putting (10m): 3 ft + 6 ft circles.
• Course Strategy: Google Earth Recreation Park 18. Locate every hazard and trouble area. Your "Avoidance Plan" is to never take a line that brings water or OB into play.
• Mental cue: Big numbers are the only enemy. Take the bogey and walk.

Jayden Kuo '26 — Reset

Status: Qualified (+7.0 avg) but latest was +13 (48 with 1 DB / 2 TB / 4 QB!)

• Range (20m): Focus on short irons. Value quality over quantity. Choose different targets. Go through your routine.
• Short game (20m): Bunker + greenside chip from tight lies — 8 reps each. Do a 4 ft and 6 ft putting circles.
• Course Strategy: Google Earth Recreation Park 18. Pay attention to the tough par 4s. What do you need to do to avoid big numbers on these?
• Mental cue: One bad swing ≠ one bad hole. Reset, take the medicine, move on.

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