After a seemingly endless winter, the snow has finally melted, and spring athletes have taken to their respective fields and courses in preparation for a new season.

In the case of James Murray ‘18, this is the golf course as he gets ready for his final season in an East uniform with the rest of the boys varsity golf team.

Murray, or “Mookie” as he’s better known, is no stranger to the golf course.

“I’ve been golfing most of my life, but started really taking it seriously during my sophomore year,” Mookie said. After nearly qualifying for states last year, Mookie and the rest of the team have set their expectations sky high this year.

“Last year we were three places off going to states,and our goal is to win our conference and make it to states, we have a lot of experience on the team and anything short of making states will be a disappointment,” Mookie said.

Mookie is one of three seniors on the team (Cooper Bell ‘18, Lance Hozee ‘18, being the others), all of whom are excited for a chance to leave the program on a good note. After countless memories that have accompanied his four seasons with the program, Mookie’s senior season will certainly be bittersweet.

“What I’ll miss most is just being with the guys,” Mookie said after reflecting upon his time with the team.

Although the sun is setting on their careers at East Grand Rapids, Bell and Mookie’s competitive golfing careers are far from over.

Bell will continue to play golf at Grand Rapids Community College and Mookie has signed to play at Aquinas College.

“I decided to continue to play golf in college because I enjoy playing it every day, it never gets old to me, also I love the staff and coaches at Aquinas, they really made it an easy decision,” Mookie said.

It’s a very exciting time for Mookie and the rest of the team as they try to qualify for the state competition, stay tuned for more updates for what will hopefully be a great season for the boys golf team.