Depth is a Strength for Bearcat Men's Golf Team

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University men's golf team has lots of quality depth on its roster. The Bearcats have used that depth in a positive way, winning or tying for first place in four of their first six tournaments in the 2015-16 season. Team scores in seven of Willamette's 12 rounds have been below 300, including a season low of 285 in the first round of the Pacific Fall Invitational.

In addition to four first place finishes, the Bearcats have earned second place once and third place once. Three Bearcats have won individual tournament titles and eight Willamette golfers have placed in the top eight in at least one tournament.

Trent Jones (Fr., Kenmore, WA/Shorecrest HS) took first place in his first collegiate tournament, as he won the Pacific Fall Invitational on Sept. 19-20. Clark Wilson (Jr., Ocean Park, WA/Ilwaco HS) won the Whitworth Invitational on October 2-3, and Chase Lamothe (Sr., Corvallis, OR/Corvallis HS) placed first at the Willamette Cup to start the spring season on Feb. 27-28.

There are 12 athletes on the team. All 12 are challenging for the chance to compete in tournaments this spring.

"We haven't had this kind of balance and depth in the program for at least six years," Head Coach Patrick Daugherty said. "Right now not only do we have a good number, and a great mix between classes, but they're all very talented players as well."

Having 12 really good golfers sounds like a good thing. And at one level it is. No matter who you enter in a tournament, the chances are good that your team will do well. Even so, that doesn't make it easy for the head coach, who has to choose who's competing each week.

"Here's what most people say or think," Daugherty noted. "They say 'well that's great, who wouldn't want 12 talented, good players. I mean 12 good football players, 12 good baseball players, 12 good basketball players.' My response, is that it's not the number of athletes, it's the fact they all play the same position."

Daugherty has to choose just five golfers as Willamette's team entry into a tournament. He can enter others as individual competitors, but those competing as individuals can't contribute to the team score.

"And picking which five get to compete is the complicated matter," Daughtery said. "We are only allowed to play five players as a team. When they compete, we count the four best scores out of the same five players in each round."

Deciding which players are best prepared and ready to shoot low scores on a given weekend, is a challenge. Daugherty works to make it more than just a guessing game.

"I am like many coaches -- obsessed with stats,"Daugherty said. "I think there is this perception that we just pick five guys to play and off we go. It's way more complicated than that. We track each round each player competes in, and update their individual scoring average.

"We also chart the scores, graph them and look for particular trends," Daugherty added. "And even through all that, I still don't get it right. Sometimes golf coaches need to use the eye test, just see how guys are practicing, and see if it is correlating on the golf course, and sometimes we just evoke a coaches decision. That's when the numbers are to close to compare or define who's playing better, and we have to just make what we think is the best move for the team."

Once Daugherty and Assistant Coach Ryan Kukula have determined who will form the five-man team for a given tournament, they must decide if other team members will compete as individuals.

"Some ask 'why do we take more than five players to a tournament if only five can play as a team?'," Daugherty commented. "To me, it's all about experience. How are we going to get a good judge of a player if we don't get to see him compete? I really like being able to take a couple of extra guys to tournaments and see how they do.

"Plus for the younger players, its only going to make them more ready for next year and the years to come," Daugherty added. "By taking seven to eight players to a tournament we continue to compete and challenge each other to be better. I would most definitely say that in this instance -- for this team -- competition breeds success."

The Bearcats will be back in action this weekend when golf at the Lewis & Clark Invitational. The tournament is set for Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13 at Heron Lakes Golf Club in Portland, Oregon.

Top 10 Finishes this Season

Trent Jones (Fr.)
1st place, Pacific Fall Invite, 139
2nd place (tie), Whitworth Invitational, 148
3rd place, PLU Invitational, 145
4th place, Willamette Cup, 149
4th place (tie), UPS Invitational, 144

Clark Wilson (Jr.)
1st place, Whitworth Invitational, 145
4th place, Pacific Fall Invitational, 144
4th place (tie), UPS Invitational, 144
6th place (tie), Willamette Cup, 152
9th place (tie), NWC Fall Classic, 157

Chase Lamothe (Sr.)
1st place, Willamette Cup, 142
4th place, PLU Invitational, 146
6th place (tie), Pacific Fall Invitational, 146
7th place, NWC Fall Classic, 155

Peter Mitzel (Jr.)
3rd place, Pacific Fall Invitational, 143
4th place, NWC Fall Classic, 153

Sam Hinton (Fr.)
4th place (tie), UPS Invitational, 144
8th place, Pacific Fall Invitational, 147

Steven Rodriguez (Sr.)
3rd place, NWC Fall Classic, 151

Kenneth Sheldon (Fr.)
5th place (tie), PLU Invitational, 147

Collin Fuller (Jr.)
6th place (tie), Willamette Cup, 152