The Green Hope golf team has played five tournaments so far this season and won them all.

They have a comfortable seven-point lead in the Tri-Eight midway through the conference season, having won all four matches to date, and they picked up a victory at the 18-hole Anderson Creek High School Invitational.

If their accomplishments so far weren’t a loud enough message that this team is a state championship contender, if not the frontrunner, consider this: the Falcons haven’t even been playing their best golf.

“We haven’t lost yet, but we haven’t been happy with our playing so far,” said Green Hope senior Ben Kohles. “We’re playing all right. Everyone’s had their good days and bad days, but we all just want to play better.”

Green Hope, the reigning two-time 4-A state champion and winner of three of the last four titles, is once again blessed with depth every team craves but few possess. The Falcons have six members of last year’s championship team, including four who placed at the state tournament, still on the roster.

Of the four players to have played in all four Tri-Eight matches so far, their cumulative scores are within six strokes. Michael Cromie and Michael Marshburn have shot 149 over 36 holes, while Kohles is at 150 and Marcus Lindroos is at 155.

“All of us competing against each other, we just feed off each other’s energy,” Kohles said. “It helps us relax and play our best at different times.”

That depth has been on display each time they’ve taken the course.

In four Tri-Eight matches, a Green Hope golfer has won or tied for medalist honors after each round. And all four times, it has been someone different.

Kohles won the season opener at MacGregor Downs with a one-under 35. Marshburn and Lindroos shared the lead with another golfer from Fuquay-Varina at Sanford by shooting one-over 36. Cromie shot two-under 34 to win the third match at Bentwinds. And last week, at the Preserve, Brooks Beanland shot one-under 35 and was the only player in the field to break par.

“It shows what kind of team we have,” said Lindroos, who along with Kohles is a team captain. “We’re all pretty equal. It’s nice to know we can all be there to back each other up. It’s nice to know everyone can produce good scores. You go out there, and maybe you’re not shooting your best scores, but you have five other guys behind you who can shoot out of the world.”

Knowing the talents of their teammates allows each player to play fearlessly, coach David Allen said.

“Play fearlessly, every shot we face. Play smart, not recklessly, because you’ve got teammates,” Allen said. “If you’re having a hot day, great. If you’re not having a good day, and some of these nine hole matches, one bad shot can cost you three strokes and you don’t have time to recover. But you know your buddy’s coming right along behind you.”

The Falcons have shown they can win in close and comfortable fashion. Their four Tri-Eight wins are by 11, one, eight and five strokes, respectively. At the High School Elite, Green Hope and Broughton were tied after 18 holes after both shot 309. But the Falcons won the tournament because their fifth golfer had a better score than Broughton’s fifth-place finisher.

And it’s those 18-hole events that Allen believes will help his team prepare for the end of the season. The conference and regional tournaments are 18-hole rounds, and the state tournament is 36 holes over two days.

With the years of sustained success the Falcons have enjoyed also comes the expectation that they must continue producing championships year after year. Though that prospect is present, Allen wants his team to ignore it.

“We just want to get better every day,” Allen said. “That’s all we try to do. We try to play better and better and better so we peak at the right times. That’s what it’s all about.”