If there was one word to describe the golf team’s attitude this season, it would be “optimistic”.
Associate head coach Andy Garcia expressed that optimism for the team.
“In years past it’s been ‘Oh let’s aim for the top five, or top three’ but this year we are trying to win it.”
After finishing a strong third in the OAC last year, Garcia is adamant that their rebuilding years are over, and now is the time to get down to business. “Winning it is our main goal, and if we don’t get it, we really won’t be pleased with the season we’ve had.”
On the surface, not a lot has changed with the team from last season. four out of the five starters from last season returned this season, the only difference is the level of experience that this year’s team has.
“It’s all about that experience factor last year carrying into this year,” Junior Clay Rice said. “[This fall] is just more time to build since it’s another whole semester of experience that we will gain to get ready for the spring season which is more important than the fall, because that’s when all the big tournaments are.”
But the experience has been showing thus far. The men’s team finished third in their first tournament at the Ohio Dominican Kisor Classic earlier this month, a strong first showing.
They then stepped it up to perform eight strokes under what they did at Ohio Dominican at their second tournament, the OAC fall invitational. Brian Zenk led the team both times, shooting a 160 at Ohio Dominican, and 155 at the OAC invitational.
Zenk is only one of a few good golfers that are on the team this year.
“Clay Rice has been a top performer;” Garcia said. “He was all conference last year, and Brian Zenk who was academic all-conference last year. Our most steady performer has been our senior, our captain, Wes Holler. He’s definitely been a real bright spot for us.”
Garcia was very careful in describing the dynamic of this year’s team, “I don’t want to use the term ‘young’, we have experience now, but the majority of our team is basically in their junior year.” This is good for the program; a good younger team means continuity into the next season.
According to Junior Mark Williams, “The future looks really bright, four out of five of our best are going to be back again next year. We’re finishing in the top three at tournaments playing awful, so imagine if we could play good or great!”
Next week Capital is up against a powerhouse division 1 team with Xavier. It’s only a scrimmage but the team is looking to gain even more valuable experience from the game.
“We’re in pretty good shape for the scrimmage coming up.” Said Williams, “We’re going to Xavier to see how good we could be by seeing how much we can accomplish against Xavier.”
The upcoming scrimmage against Xavier is exciting for Xavier as well.
The head coach of the Xavier team is actually a Capital Alum, and was a member of the last Capital team to win the OAC.
No one on the Capital team expects to win at the upcoming scrimmage, but Garcia is hopeful that the team can “get lucky, and maybe end up on Sportscenter.”
What the focus is now for this fall season, is to prepare themselves for when it really counts in the Spring, when they’re up to take the OAC possibly, but they have a few stiff contenders to fight with first.
“We know how good we could be and we know that we definitely have a good chance of winning the OAC this year,” Rice said. “Otterbein has a rich tradition in golf, especially in the last 10 years or so, Mount Union and John Carroll are up this year as well as Ohio Northern so there’s definitely a couple of good schools but we’re right up there with them.
“We just have to play good tournaments and show everyone that we’re right up there with them.”
Next up on the schedule after Xavier is the Kenyon invitational September 29, followed by the Wittenberg invitational October 6.
abutts@capital.edu
