Flyer Men Begin Pursuit of Third Consecutive National Golf Title
Sandhills Community College golfer Benjamin Read was 4-under par, heading to the 552-yard 18th hole of the Magnolia Course at Pinewild Country Club a week ago during a qualifying round for the upcoming spring season.
A freshman from Banchory, Scotland, Read hit his second shot into a greenside bunker before flying the putting surface with his third. He made a double-bogey seven, but his round of 70 was still the best score of the day among the 10 Flyers competing for five lineup spots in the first of six spring tournaments.
Coach Gus Ulrich's squad begins its pursuit of a third NJCAA Division III championship in a row at the Laker Spring Invitational held at Foxfire Golf Club on March 10-11. The tournament host is Mercyhurst University of Erie, PA. The national tournament will again be held at Chautauqua Golf Club in Chautauqua, NY on June 6-9.
Most of the 10 golfers struggled at Pinewild, but Ulrich is convinced this team can be as good or better than last year's that won the national title by 89 strokes over second place Georgia Military College.
Among the returnees are Alex Martin, who was the runner-up to teammate Andreas Huber for medalist honors last June and Adam Hathaway who finished in ninth place.
Ulrich feels he got a glimpse of how strong this team can be during the fall campaign when the Flyers won the Don Scalf Tournament in Rocky Mount by 24 strokes over a field that included six four-year colleges. Martin, Read and sophomore Logan Hay grabbed the top three places individually with under par performances. Hay opened with a 65 as the Flyer's posted a 12-under par team score of 276.
"That was a huge win for us to realize that this team can be as good or better than last year's team," Ulrich said. "When they all jell together we're pretty good. I'm happy with our spring schedule and excited to see what we can do.
"We're in two big tournaments hosted by East Carolina and Barton College. Those will be two tests to see where we stack up against bigger teams and just better prepare us for the national tournament."
Read, Martin and Hay are the leaders so far in the qualifying rounds. With a squad that includes a strong group of returnees along with five freshmen, the five spots available for most events will be hard to come by. There will be at least one tournament where the Flyers can also enter a "B" team and others where additional players can compete as individuals.
"Ben and Alex had a really good fall," the coach said. "Ben has been way beyond my expectations so far as a player, a person and a student. He's the ultimate student athlete. His golf game is unbelievable and I'm super impressed with his technique."
Read, who returned to Scotland over the holiday break, feels his game is in a good place. He was asked what he told his family and friends about golf in the Sandhills.
"It's heaven on earth is the way I would describe Pinehurst to the people back home," he said.
Hathaway gained a third year of eligibility because of Covid. He has the unique opportunity to become a member of a national championship team for the third time as well as become a three-time All-American. The J.H. Rose High School grad earned second team honors in each of his first two years.
Struggling off the tee recently, he knows there is no guarantee of a spot in the starting five. Providing an extra incentive for him is that two of the spring events will be held near his hometown of Greenville.
"It's easier, playing from the fairway for sure," he said. "This will definitely be a special opportunity. It will be a lot of fun and we've got a lot of work to do. This has been the most competitive group since I've been here by far."
Said, Ulrich, "I'd like to see Adam have a crack at three championships."
The other sophomore members of the team are James Baldauf, Nolan John, Noah Maness, Dakota Oman and Tyler Owens. The strong group of freshmen also includes Pinecrest High School products Watcharakan Chankarn and Supanat Rvjiranan, Nicholas Howard, South Johnston High School, Liam Harris, Wake Forest High School and Ethan Moore, Southern Alamance.
C. Bergmann