Rainier High School freshman golfer Joshua Peralta was the school’s first representative at the 1B/2B state championships at Tumwater Valley Golf Course since the program became an official sport prior to this school year.
He advanced to the second day of the tournament on Wednesday, May 22, and finished tied for 21st on the leaderboard with a two-day score of 172. He was one of three freshmen to finish inside the top 25. Peralta, who won the district championship, carded an 88 on his final 18 holes.
“It is very competitive. It felt like districts, just a little bit more pressure,” Peralta told The Chronicle. “It just wasn’t my day.”
He started the day with three straight pars, then four consecutive bogeys. Once he turned on the back nine, he had a birdie of No. 12 between a bogey and two doubles.
Peralta ran into trouble on No. 14, hitting his tee shot into the thick rough and struggled to get the ball out. He ended up with a quadruple bogey.
“I didn’t want to take a penalty,” Peralta said. “I was not focusing.”
Yet he responded with back-to-back pars on the next two holes. Peralta is hopeful the experience will push him forward next spring and the remainder of his prep career.
“I can learn from hitting my approach shots better,” he said. “I tend to hit my irons with a push. Just being smart with the placement.”
— The Chronicle sports reporter Zach Martin contributed to this story.
