PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State University men's golf team tees off its spring season Jan. 29 to compete at its first of six tournaments, leading up to the Pac-12 Championships, April 29-May 1.
Compared to the fall, the spring will feature less travel for the Cougars – after the first tournament in Arizona, the farthest the team will travel is to Lihue, Hawaii. Following that, the other three tournaments are located in Washington, Oregon, and Utah.
“This fall we had to travel long distances, and this spring we are in great tournaments, just on the west coast,” WSU Head Coach Garrett Clegg said. “I seek out the ones that are traditionally the best to play in.”
The first of several competitions for the Cougars is the Arizona Intercollegiate, a two-day tournament in Tucson, Ariz., beginning Friday, Jan. 29. Clegg attributes the decrease in travel time to the strides the program has made over the years.
“Because of the improvements to the program over the last five years, we can make it into the more elite events so we can keep our schedule in the west,” Clegg said. “It's a testament to how the program has been building and how the players have been competing.”
The Cougars will look to a youth movement – made up of sophomore Derek Bayley and freshmen Aaron Whalen and AJ Armstrong – to lead the team to a victorious spring. The trio performed well in the fall, as Bayley finished in the top-25 at four of the five fall tournaments, including a victory at the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate at Palouse Ridge Golf Club, four strokes ahead of second-place finisher Whalen. Armstrong notched two top-25 finishes at the Husky Invitational and the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate, tying for 16th at both competitions.
“With Derek being in his second year, he isn't surprised by anything because he has more experience,” Clegg said. “[Whalen and Armstrong] are good enough to play well, but now the bigger deal is consistency. There's a big jump from junior golf to high-level collegiate golf, so hopefully now the players know better of what to expect.”
Highlighted by its win at the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate, WSU finished seventh at the Husky Invitational, 11th at the Saint Mary's Invitational, and 15th at both the Ka'anapali Classic and Tavistock Collegiate Invitational.
In an effort to develop players' skills, Clegg and assistant coach Dustin White have been working with individuals at the Lewiston Country Club and the Clarkston Country Club throughout the winter. Each golfer enters the session with an idea of what he needs to work on, and the coaches create a tailored plan to ensure success.
“Our sport is so unique and individual – what Aaron struggles with is different than what AJ struggles with,” Clegg said.
The conclusion of the spring season will mark the end of three seniors' WSU golf careers, and the addition of two international recruits. Seth Nickerson, Evan Omelia, and Bhurinat Songpaiboon look to end on a high note, while Daniel Kolar from Australia and Nicklaus Chiam from Singapore are anticipated to bring experience and maturity to the team next season.
With a new season comes higher expectations from Clegg. Strong finishes this season will help to catapult the Cougars into elite tournaments next year.
“I expect to see more moments of greatness out of this group. We had a few small glimmering moments in the fall,” Clegg said. “There's a lot left for them to prove.”