Set to tee off
The UNM men’s golf team has some momentum as it heads to the NCAA Championships
The University of New Mexico men’s golf team performed admirably in the spring of 2016, but was unable to parlay regular-season success into a national championship tournament appearance.
It’s been a slow build for this year’s team, but the Lobos have certainly answered the adage, “what have you done for me lately?” with clutch finishes when it’s time to perform or pack up the clubs.
Coming off strong late-season tournaments at Augusta, Ga., and Oklahoma — both top-three team finishes — the Lobos challenged for a team title in the MWC tournament, and followed that up by leading the West Lafayette, Ind., regional tournament through two rounds last week.
Finishing fourth overall at the regional tournament, UNM advances to its first NCAA Championships since 2013. The 30-team field includes each of the top five finishers from last week’s six regionals.
“We’ve shot some great scores that would make the cut against some of the best in the country,” said UNM coach Glen Millican, who was recruiting prior to the NCAA Championships that begin Friday at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill., in suburban Chicago.
“We played a great schedule this year, and we’ve had a lot of great finishes.”
The Lobos’ lone senior starter, Andrej Bevins, has waited for this moment for four seasons. After a nearmiss last year, Bevins’ tie
for first at the regional tournament helped UNM earn a berth in the NCAA Championships.
“I’ve played really well the last five tournaments,” Bevins said. “We’ve been really close. To finally make it to nationals is very satisfying.”
Three rounds of stroke play begin Friday and conclude Sunday. The top eight teams will advance to match play that begins Tuesday and culminates with Wednesday’s championship match.
Millican guided the 2013 Lobos to a fifth-place finish at nationals, one of two fifth-place national tournament finishes under his stewardship. That team had a glowing résumé of individual standouts, including All-Americans Gavin Green and James Erkenbeck.
While Bevins and No. 2 Andre Garcia have certainly performed consistently this season, neither is likely to get a postseason All-America nod.
Still, Millican is confident he has the roster that can make some noise at nationals.
“We had a great team and a great lineup in 2013,” Millican said. “But that doesn’t exempt a group from playing great. Just because we haven’t been there before doesn’t mean we won’t be great (at the national championship).”
Albuquerque native Sean Carlon has had to embrace a slow, steady learning curve in his two seasons in the Lobos’ lineup.
By the time Carlon reached the seventh grade, the 2015 Hope Christian graduate was one of the most touted junior golfers in the metro area. He won three individual state championships and helped the Huskies capture state championships.
Carlon said he was fortunate to travel to tournaments all over the Southwest during his high school career. He was well acquainted with top-level golf, but needed to adjust his mind-set the moment he broke into the Lobos’ starting lineup.
“It wasn’t so much of a shock seeing college players, but there are just so many good players out there,” Carlon said. “It’s a little difficult and very humbling. … At this level, the shot difference isn’t that much. I think the hardest transition for anybody really — and a lot of people can relate to it — is that it is much more of a mental grind in college.”
As much as any other reason, that extra mental focus is perhaps the one defining difference between a talented 2016 team that fell short of nationals and an unsung quintet in 2017 that extended its season into the final week of May.
“Honestly, it’s nothing physically that’s different from last year,” said Garcia, a redshirt junior. “It’s probably about getting a little better mentally, and as a team grinding out there a little more and just having a good attitude.”
Millican feels that when the Lobos are on, “our golf is as good as anybody’s.
“And when our golf isn’t as good, we know we’re good enough to hang in there. … Our golf has been good since March, and we’ve had great finishes. (Keeping that same mental approach) will be the thing for us to excel in Chicago.”