AUBURN – If Chad Kordalski didn’t wear a battered orange baseball cap every time he played a round of golf for Lewiston High School, it would be hard to tell him apart from his brother, Evan.

Their swings are similar, their gait is slow and methodical, and their near-identical course strategy is uncanny.

“It’s obvious that they have played a lot together,” said Lewiston coach Don Jalbert. “Last year, when Chad was on the team as a sophomore, Evan went out and practiced after us, and we could see that he was going to be a player.”

Now, junior Chad and freshman Evan are two of the six varsity players on the Blue Devils’ team, and have both been solid to start the year.

Home course advantage

“It doesn’t hurt to have played here all my life,” said Evan. “Martindale is a tough course if you don’t know where you are going or what to hit on each hole, and I think that is a big reason I did well right from the start.”

As a freshman, Evan didn’t necessarily think he was a shoo-in for the team, even with brother Chad talking him up to Jalbert.

“I didn’t think I would have a chance at varsity right away,” said Evan. “I was fortunate in qualifying to shoot low enough to be here.”

And with half of the team’s matches at Martindale, the average scores should stay consistent for Evan.

As for Chad, he has been through the process three times now, but this is the first year he has cracked the varsity lineup.

“I know our parents were both pretty happy,” said Chad. “I think it’s cool that we are both able to be on the team.”

Their father is a member at Martindale, as was their grandfather for more than 50 years, and it is easy to see where the boys got their love for the game.

“We were always out here,” said Chad.

“Yeah, baseball is still a big sport for me, but golf is a close No. 2, and I think as I got better as I got older, I started to like it more and more.”

Sibling amity

While most kids growing up will admit to a sibling rivalry of sorts – and the Kordalski’s do admit to one off the course – the brothers are best of friends on the course.

“I was really happy when he made the team,” said Chad.

This after being reminded that Evan, the freshman, actually plays higher on the team than he does. Evan plays in the No. 4 position, while Chad plays No. 6, the final varsity position.

“Honestly, I don’t think that bothers him too much,” said Evan. “Now, if I was second or something, and he wasn’t playing varsity, it might bother him a little more, but really we are always out there supporting each other.”

For whatever the reason, Chad admits that sometimes his brother is the one to help him remain calm, although their ages would suggest otherwise.

“He’s actually the one that plays it safe more often,” said Chad. “On a long hole that is narrow, like No. 12 at Martindale, I’ll be the one pulling out a driver and hitting it into the river while he’ll hit it right up the middle but shorter with a 3-wood.”

Lewiston High School will not graduate a single golfer after this season, meaning that the Kordalski brothers will again have to compete against the same teammates for a roster position next year.

“We are lucky to be a deep team,” said Jalbert. “The Kordalski’s are part of that, and there isn’t much room for movement, unless the players closer to the bottom get moving and challenge the players already there. That could happen, too.”