The Wildcats begin their spring season at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate after a fall season full of four top-10 finishes that has the team optimistic.
Junior Garrett Glanton, who finished the fall as the team’s best scorer, averaging right around 72 per round said the different courses played in the fall have him encouraged to get back to it.
“I take away a lot of positives [from the fall],” Glanton said. “I would say as a player I really found my game out there on the course and was able to adjust to very different styles of play.”
Glanton was the top finisher for the Wildcats at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate, which is hosted by South Alabama, but the team came in last in the competitive 15-team field. Glanton said making the game more team-oriented should help this spring.
“Day in and day out we just try and keep a positive attitude on our team and really just lift everyone up and make it more of a team style sport instead of individual,” Glanton said.
This year’s tournament will include the 2017 tournament champion in Louisville, Florida State, Central Arkansas, Nicholls State, Notre Dame and several mid-major competitors. Glanton said the expectation are high this week, but the five tournaments before conference are stepping stones.
“Golf is a fickle game,” Glanton said. “I would love to go out and tear it up this week, but it’s just a matter of trusting the process, trusting practice.”
The tournament started Monday morning, as competitors played 36 holes, and finished up on Tuesday with 18 more. Head Coach Tom Shaw said he’s looking forward to seeing where his team is at after playing their first since Oct. 16.
“It’s a big break and you lose some momentum, but I feel like we’re the kind of team that can pick it back up again,” Shaw said. “I think we have some talent that we haven’t had before on our team, so hopefully you won’t see much of a difference.”
Glanton, along with sophomore Bryce Dooley, freshman Alex Clouse, junior Reagan Brown and transfer junior Kade Miller took to the course Monday morning. Junior Cory Donnell and freshman Chase Allison are also competing as individuals in the tournament.
“It’s gonna the younger guys and the guys at the bottom of the lineup that determine how far we go this spring and I’m optimistic,” Shaw said.
ACU’s best team finish of the fall was fifth-place at the Jim Rivers Intercollegiate in Ruston, La.
