The good news is that the Redmond High boys' golf team is coming off an undefeated 11-0 golf season in 2009. The great news is that the Mustangs lost exactly zero players to graduation last year, and this year's cream of the crop have been playing extensively over the summer in Washington Junior Golf Association events, and some even more prestigious tournaments.

Senior team captain Charlie Mroz teed it up with the nation's best at Torrey Pines in San Diego for the Junior World Championships in July, and Lyle Rudnicki, a junior, is currently playing alongside Champions Tour stars at the Home Care and Hospice First Tee Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

"We've got everybody coming back, and a couple of the boys had real busy summers playing golf," said head coach Chris Zimmerman on his 2010 squad. "The team's looking pretty good this year."

Mroz added that his experiences playing competitive golf in an ultra-competitive environment has helped sharpen his focus and his game.

"Overall, it has helped me see that I'm a good enough player to play wherever I want to go, and that I can help lead my team, be a good captain and help them become better, so we can become better as a team," he said.

Lyle's twin brother Oliver, junior Cole Helgeson and sophomore Jimbo Curtin round out the top returners for the Mustangs, with each having contributed many low scores to last year's perfect league season.

The Mustangs also were fortunate to pick up Henrique Pombo, a Brazilian exchange student attending Redmond. Pombo carries a 2 handicap and will bolster the team's chances to make a strong showing at the district tournament.

"He will be here through February ... he's a great kid and really good player," Zimmerman said of Pombo. "I know there are a lot of good players out there in Kingco this year, I just hope we can hang with them."

With one of the most experienced squads in the program's recent history, Zimmerman is optimistic that the team can overcome their hurdle of struggling mightily at the season-ending 4A District 2 Tournament at Snohomish. After going 11-0 last year, only one player, Mroz, was able to punch a ticket to state.

"We've had a couple undefeated seasons recently, but for whatever reason just haven't done as well as we should at Snohomish," Zimmerman lamented. "We talked about it last night and that's going to be our main focus for the season."

The fifth-year coach added that the Rudnickis will be primed to have a breakout year as they have grown physically stronger, and improved their length off the tee, a big factor while playing at usually-wet Snohomish in November.

"They know the golf course, but their only problem was that they weren't as big as Charlie and some of the other guys," Zimmerman explained. "When the weather's not as nice and the course is not rolling fast, they were hitting six-irons into par-4s where the other guys are hitting wedges and nine-irons. I think this is Lyle and Oliver's year to break out and make it to state. Cole, Jimbo and Henrique also have a chance."

Zimmerman, who is a golf pro at Inglewood Golf Club in Kenmore, also places a high priority on sportsmanship, something he prides his program on.

"Our main thing is to have integrity and the respect of the other schools, and help out each other on the golf course," he said. "Have respect for the course, the parents and the other players. I think we're all on the same page."

Finally, in a league featuring golf powerhouses like Woodinville, Eastlake and Issaquah, the team is cautious not to take anything for granted, as anything can happen on a given day on the golf course.

"The goal for myself and the team is to win state," Mroz said. "But first we've got to win Kingco, then districts. We've got to take them one at a time."

Contact Redmond Reporter Sports Reporter Tim Watanabe at twatanabe@redmond-reporter.com or (425) 867-0353, ext. 5054.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.