Matt Paulson
Special to the Times
The University of La Verne golf team opened its season this year with two Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference lambastes, beating its first two opponents by a combined total of 167 strokes. But according to the team, so what?
On Feb. 8, La Verne routed Caltech, shooting 306 to the Beavers’ 421. Then, one week later, the Leopards squeezed out another nail-biter, beating Whittier by 52 shots (302-354).
“We haven’t played anybody any good,” head coach Rex Huigens said. “I was actually disappointed with how we played.”
Huigens said that – in both matches – the Leopards fired six shots higher than what they should have done for a solid round – not necessarily good or bad, just solid, he said.
In the Monday, Feb. 14 match against Whittier at Sierra La Verne, junior Doug Green emerged as the Leopards’ leader, medaling with a 1-over-par 72, followed closely by sophomore Nathan Logan with a 73.
“The match went well,” said Green. “We didn’t shoot a good score. The level of competition in the conference matches is going to increase quite a bit. We need to step up our games.”
Green missed two putts of about three-and-a-half feet, including one on the final hole.
Green, after a phenomenal freshman year, fizzled slightly last year, admitting an overall lack of confidence in his game, in addition to a “big mental block.” In fact, he dropped his clubs at the end of the season until late July, entertaining the possibility of quitting.
But the Glendora native rededicated, dropping about 15 pounds as the result of a concentrated workout regimen: running three miles 3-4 times per week, in addition to push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups.
Green also found a new swing coach, who amplified his once limited shot arsenal, teaching him to control the ball through feel rather than mechanics. Now, although he has lost distance, Green is hitting twice as many greens in regulation, he said.
“I’m controlling the ball now, the ball’s not controlling me,” said Green, who finished No. 1 after the four-round qualifying bout preceding the Caltech match.
“He’s scoring better and has much more confidence in his game,” Huigens said. “He’s become more of a golfer rather than just a striker of the golf ball. I’m very pleased with the way he’s playing right now. I think he’s taken leaps and bounds since last year.”
Logan’s 73 against Whittier followed a second-best 75 against Caltech. But despite finishing second for the Leopards in both of this season’s opening matches, Logan feels he has room to improve, pointing to his putter as the culprit.
“The putter hasn’t been there,” Logan said. “I hit it really well, gave myself a lot of opportunities to make a lot of pars.”
However, as the result of putting drills on the practice green, Logan sees improvement in his flat stick.
“I’m trying to get more confidence in it,” Logan said. “It’s starting to pay off a little bit.”
Following Green and Logan at Sierra La Verne were senior All-American Andrew Garcia (78) and freshman Chris Davis (79). Their scores, however, are simply not going to be good enough when competition begins to tighten, Huigens said.
“We can’t have a 78 and a 79 at home,” Huigens said. “But it’s just one of those things that happens. If we’re going to be good, the top guys coming back have to play well for us, and I think they will. And then a couple more have to step up.”
Davis, despite his 79 at Sierra La Verne, medaled at the Leopards’ match against Caltech with a 37-36—73. An alumnus of Glendora High School, the same place that produced Green, Davis has worked diligently to bring his game up a notch.
“I feel I’ve had some good rounds, but nothing’s really clicked yet,” Davis said.
Recently, he has worked on fine-tuning his golf swing, in addition to consistency and short game issues.
“I’m just looking to bring my game to a new level to compete with everyone on the college level,” Davis said.
Jordan Talah, another freshman out of Glendora High School, wasn’t able to qualify for the season’s first match, as the result of being hospitalized for a gastrointestinal virus. But Talah returned, qualifying to play in yesterday’s match against Redlands.
“They’re both going to have really good careers here,” Huigens said.
Yesterday, ULV faced off against Redlands at Redlands Country Club. Redlands is ranked No. 2 nationally and finished second in the 2004 national tournament, beating ULV, who finished sixth, its highest ever.
Results were unavailable at press time, but the Leopards sounded off on the match before teeing off.
“It’s going to be really tough to beat them there,” Huigens said. “I hope we play well. If we win, we win; if we lose, we lose. I just want to be able to compete with some good teams.”
Despite ULV entering as the underdog, last week’s rain may have slightly evened the field. Neither team has been able to actually pick up a club and play in the past six days.
“We’re all in the same boat,” Logan said.
“I just want to play my own game. I just need to do what I can do, try to hit it as well as I can, putt as well as I can, and if everyone on our team does that, we should be fine.”
Matt Paulson can be reached at mpaulson@ulv.edu.