Blog
PAC-10 Golf Championship
Just came back from the PAC Conference Championship in Seattle, Washington. The 72 hole tourney was played at the Seattle Golf Club an old style gem. Narrow with elevation changes on almost every hole, the players needed to be able to work the tee ball both ways and hit it straight. The greens were rolling with many slopes and quite fast.
There were 4 Canadians in the field 2 current National Am Team members (Nick Taylor and Eugene Wong) and a past National Junior Team member (Darren Wallace).
It was a great tournament with a very strong field one of the strongest in College Golf. In the field were Jamie Lovemark past US Am Champ, other top ranked players like Erik Flores and Mathew Gilles ranked number 1 in College Golf. Nick Taylor is also a top ranked player.
Darren Wallace of U of Washington ran away with the individual title and U of Washington won the team competition. It was Darrens first college win shooting 70, 72, 65, 70 for an eleven under par total. His great play could not have happened at a bigger event. He put on a putting clinic and also hit many excellent irons shots. Nick Taylor U of W, finished second (76, 70, 67, 68 for seven under) and was also very impressive. He drives the ball very straight and controls the distance on his irons like a tour player. If he putted average he would have given Darren a good run. Eugene (71, 74, 70, 73 for even par) finished in the top 10 is a future superstar. He shot a 6 udder 30 on the front nine in round 3. He is a freshman but already a leader on his team at the U of Oregon.
One thing I am amazed at is how aggressive the top players are many to a fault. The go for almost every pin, driving it on some very tight holes and going for devilish par 5s in two with 3 woods and hybrids. I wonder if they could score better by playing slightly more conservatively. On the other hand, they practise and train so much that they have the confidence to get it done, most times. That is the major difference. The can play aggressively because they are confident and they are realistic with there expectations. The short games of the top players are awesome allowing them to play more aggressively. If they miss the green, they are still able to get up and down for par.
An interesting general note on college coaches. They are really great guys and passionate about their programs. They caddy for their players often calling shots and clubs to hit and reading greens. With their jobs on the line, in a world of win or be fired, cant say I blame them with the pressure they are under. However, I do believe the coaches would get much better long term results if they tried more to encourage independence and put trust in the players. Let the players may make some mistakes but grow mentally and be better off from the critical thinking they have undertaken on their own.