Bronco golf squads fight for WCC title
By Brian Witter
Monday will mark the opening round of the West Coast Conference Men's and Women's Golf Championships at the Saddle Creek Resort in Copperopolis, Calif. Both Santa Clara teams will face off against a strong field this year, including Pepperdine, whose men and women are both top-ranked in the WCC.
"Over spring break, we actually had the chance to play at Saddle Creek," junior Blake Lugar said. "It was raining at the time so the conditions were not exactly stellar, but with good weather this weekend, hopefully we'll get the chance to play there the way it was meant to be played and possibly do some interesting and unexpected things at the tournament."
Led by Head Coach John Kennaday, the Bronco men will attempt to capitalize on a season wrought with its share of average finishes and solid placings at such events like the Countrywide Intercollegiate and Carson Daly Invitational, where the team placed second and fourth in the field.
Key to success this season has largely been a result of senior captain Jonathan Edwards and senior John Colyar, who both shoot an average round of 75, just slightly over what many professional golfers shoot on a weekly basis.
The Broncos' weapon of choice, however, has been the play of sophomore Jong Yoon, who qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championships in 2003 and currently averages a stroke better than the two seniors.
Santa Clara's main competition at Saddle Creek will be Saint Mary's and Pepperdine, two of the nation's best teams.
The Waves are fronted this season by senior All-American Michael Putnam, who has established himself as Pepperdine's most decorated golfer to date and aims to seal up a seventh-consecutive title for his school. It may take nothing less than a major upset for any team to beat the Waves.
"In addition to all the fundamentals we obviously work on, we've had sessions this year with a sports psychologist who often works with pro golfers," freshman Tim Lynch said. "Golf is a very mental game and when we go out there and play, our mind-set has to be that we're the team to beat in the conference. You can't think about all the things that could possibly happen when you hit that ball, only what needs to happen."
On the women's side, Coach Polly Schulze is in her fifth season as coach of the Broncos.
Expected to lead the WCC pack will be sophomore Samantha Trask, who averages a round of 76, as well as senior Courtney Dimpel-Composti and junior Candice Palmer, both of whom have not shot a round higher than 85 this year.
As with the men, the women's strongest opposition will be Pepperdine, whose women are currently ranked fifth in the nation.
"Pepperdine has always been the team to beat," Trask said. "I think though that with a strong finish to our season, we'll have the momentum we need to perform well and possibly even surprise a few people."
The Broncos women have had three top-five finishes in 2004-05; most recently with their third place finish at the rain-shortened Colby Classic in Carmel, Calif.
Trask has proven to be an asset with three rounds good enough to be at the top of the event leader board just as many times this year, including two rounds which led to a win at the Cal Poly Invitational in November by five strokes to secure her first collegiate tournament.
"Samantha and Candace [Palmer] are very consistent in their style of play which helps to rub off on the rest of the team," sophomore Paige Wilson said. "As for who else is going to Saddle Creek, it's anybody's guess. Our roster has rotated quite a bit this year and a lot more of the freshmen like Stephanie Cope and Corey Utsurogi have been taking it upon themselves and stepping up lately in their play and energy level."
The entire Bronco roster does not play in each tournament. Usually there is a qualifier before competition where Santa Clara teammates tee off against each other for the right to play against other schools. The five golfers with the lowest scores in the qualifier are selected to compete in the events.
"We each have all of our own routines to prepare for matches and get warmed up," Lugar said. "The game we play still retains that individual feeling, but there is also a level of camaraderie in the fact that we don't really consider any one person the bonafide team leader. A lot of our success is determined by our own performances, particularly in the short game since these tournaments are won on the greens, but rooting for the team as a whole is important."
The men completed their last tournament before the championships at the UCSB Bite Invitational in Lompoc, Calif., placing 15th.
The women will be traveling to Saddle Creek the day after competing at the Peg Barnard Invitational at Stanford all day Saturday and Sunday.
The Saddle Creek course is regarded as a tranquil spot which was designed so that no two holes run parallel to each other. The holes are surrounded by all different types of hazardous bunkers and lakes which make it a difficult but fun course.
"Even though what we do personally is what matters, it's really fun to cheer on your teammates," Wilson said. "You're still on a team with your peers who you have a connection with. Keeping everyone's spirit up gives us a better sense of harmony when we're all trying to accomplish the same thing."
* Contact Brian Witter at (408) 551-1918 or bwitter@scu.edu