Men's Golf 2009-10 Season Preview
Head
Coach Richard Warren hopes that the third time is the charm for the Pacific’s
men’s golf team.
For the last two seasons, the Boxers have entered the Northwest Conference Championship tournament with a chance to claim their first league title since 1993. Each time, the Boxers have been turned away in the final round, foiled by nerves or poor rounds of play.
Warren, now in his ninth season leading the program, hopes that the “so close, so far” aspect of the last two seasons have been a learning experience for a hungry and potent Pacific golf team. “(Whitworth coach) Warren Friedrichs told me it’s a learning process. You have to get there a couple of times to understand what it takes to win it and learn to be patient.”
Pacific has had plenty of time to be patient after finishing third two years ago and second place last year in the NWC championship standings. And the roster of seven returners, led by Third Team All-American Max Bonk (Jr., Kamuela, Hawaii) is hungry to finally grasp the trophy.
“Our goal is always to been to climb to the top of the mountain and be the best we can be. If that means we get a chance to put our hands on the championship trophy, then that’s what our goal is,” Warren said. “If everything comes together, if we play together as a group, then we should have a trophy this year.”
Warren
said the team’s chances are helped by a level of experience he hasn’t had
in his tenure as coach. For the first time he returns all three of his
top players from the year before, including Bonk, Tim Andrew (Sr., Canby,
Ore.) and Ben Wright (Jr., Ashland, Ore.).
Bonk continued to take the conference by storm as a sophomore, far and away performing as the best golfer in the NWC. His 71.82 strokes per 18 holes average was among the lowest in the nation. Bonk did not lose during the spring season, winning seven straight tournaments and capturing his second straight Spring Classic and NWC Championship titles.
Despite his numbers and victories, Bonk was denied a chance to compete again at the NCAA Division III Tournament, a decision Warren described as a “miscarriage of justice.” As he assumes a full leadership role on the team as a junior, Bonk will be as potent as ever.
“He got a taste of what it was to was it was like to go to the national tournament and then last year he got robbed,” Warren said. “Add to that his leadership and his hunger to take his team to the national tournament makes him a special player.”
Wright saw his game make dramatic strides over the course of his sophomore season, thanks in part to practicing and playing with Bonk. Wright saw his average drop by three strokes last year, capped by a third place finish at the NWC Fall Classic and a seventh place finish at the NWC Spring Classic.
“Ben had a solid fall, but when he had some freshmen leave that were really counting on, he really stepped up his game,” Warren said of Wright’s surge during the 2009 spring schedule. “He has taken a lot from Max on how to make his game better. Once he gets really confident with the flat stick, I can’t see anything but great things.”
Andrew,
along with fellow senior Sean Hamer (Sr., Gearhart, Ore.), will play a
significant role in the Boxers’ chances to take the title. Andrew continued
to be a steady presence in the lineup, posting a 79.89 strokes per 18 holes
average. He placed third at the NWC Spring Classic and tied for 10th at
the Fall Classic. “Tim has a lot of things going on, but he is one of the
most talented players in the league,” Warren said. “When he has his game
face on and focuses and concentrates, he is solid. He has the whole package.”
Hamer, meanwhile, came through when the Boxers needed him most. After struggling through most of his junior season, Hamer hit stride to place eighth at the NWC championships. It was only the second time in the last two seasons that he turned in back-to-back rounds under 80, a testament to meeting the challenge of relaxing under pressure.
“We’ve been working on Sean not needing to be a perfectionist out there,” Warren said. “When we started working on that is when he started coming on. He had some solid rounds in the spring.”
Parrish Evans (Jr., Cave Junction, Ore.) returns for his third season after amassing an 83.60 stroke average in five tournaments last year. Ryan Beason (So., Juneau, Alaska) and Alex Ferber (So., Astoria, Ore.) return for their second seasons and provided some needed depth to the roster.
Among the team’s four newcomers, Warren is excited to see how Eddie Stewart (Fr., Jackson Hole, Wyo.) will adjust to playing in the Pacific Northwest. The grandson of former Pacific President Phil Creighton, Stewart was a two-time all-state selection in Wyoming and finished second in the 2008 state championships. He has had great schooling in the game as a prep player, including some time at Arnold Palmer’s Golf Academy in Florida.
Warren said that Stewart’s scores and handicaps show that he has the potential to be an immediate impact player in the conference. “His credentials are as good as Max and we’re expecting some great things,” Warren said. If he can get acclimated to the school and of his studies, he should be a solid player.”
Gage Josi (Fr., Scappoose, Ore.) came to Pacific highly recommended after a standout prep career that saw him finished 12th at the Oregon 4A state championships last spring. Tony DiChiara (Fr., Eugene, Ore.) made an appearance in the Oregon 6A championships as a senior while Drew Perry (Fr., Hillsboro, Ore.) will add depth after a solid high school career.