Bradynn Belcher, Campus Carrier asst. sports editor
Everything was falling into place for Berry’s men’s golf team on Monday afternoon at the Chick-Fil-A Collegiate Invitational. The Vikings had a distinct advantage of competing at Stonebridge Golf Course, their home course. Knowing the course’s quirks such as which greens play faster and which is the most effective angle to hit a tee shot is crucial in a game of inches like golf.
Acknowledging this, the Vikings were excited to honorably defend the course they play everyday, and after the first round on Monday, that looked like an obtainable goal.
Led by junior Jack Stafford, the Vikings were sitting comfortably in fourth place at the end of the first round, only four shots shy of second place. At this point, Stafford was also a top ranked contender as he was just one birdie away from first place.
Berry approached their tee times on Tuesday with confidence, but the course seemed to spit out every putt, and the Vikings could not close the deal.
The pressure became too much in the final round. A total of 32 bogies from Berry’s top five players would be enough to hinder the team’s trophy placement. After two rounds of play, the Vikings finished in 6th place. Last year at the same tournament, Berry earned third place. Stafford was a victim of the bogey epidemic, dropping two places on the leaderboard for a sixth place finish. In 2022, the Cisco, Georgia native also led the pack and rallied to a second place finish, achieving a prestigious spot on the all tournament team.
Head Coach Brian Farrer said that this time around, his men’s team succumbed to the added pressure that comes with playing at home, but he feels that to take this team to the next level of competition, this is something that they need to conquer.
“I’d love to have a trophy coming back to my office,” Farrer said. “We haven’t had a good track record here. There is some added pressure playing at home, but [we’ve] got to be able to handle the pressure.”
This was the men’s final tournament of the short fall season, which serves as preparation for the spring season. Despite the disappointment they felt at the conclusion of the invitational they hosted, the Vikings have had a successful season contending against the top teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III, particularly at the Golfweek D-III Invitational at the Raven Golf Course in Sandestin, Florida from Oct. 15-17.
Against 16 of the top 25 nationally ranked teams in the country, the Vikings placed 11th, tying with No. 16 Babson College, No. 6 Guilford College, according to the Golf Coaches Association of America.
Stafford, having not qualified to represent the Vikings in a tournament yet this season, was selected by Farrer to round off the top five as his coach’s pick. Farrer said that though Stafford did not have the numbers to qualify, his proven track record of being successful in high profile tournaments was enough to put him in the lineup.
“I knew in my heart [Stafford would] be there,” Farrer said. “It was hard to put him in [the lineup] when people were beating him in qualifying. I picked him to go to Florida as my coach’s pick, and we both knew that there was some pressure for him to perform, and he did that. He did a heck of a job just like he did [at the Chick-Fil-A Collegiate Invitational].”
Stafford found a spot on the podium in a tie for ninth place against the best collegiate golfers in the country. His performance resulted in his first Southern Athletic Association Golfer of the Week award as well.
Stafford has already fallen off of the high that comes with two top 10 finishes in big tournaments for two consecutive weeks in a row. The junior and his teammates are ready to get back on the driving range to prepare for the spring season.
“We have a lot of work to do collectively and individually,” Stafford said. “We’ve got to get a lot better going into spring.”
Other than refining technique and giving his young roster more experience, Farrer said that he needs his team to learn to play with grit before the upcoming spring.
“They are lacking the ability to sort of dig a little deeper when things aren’t going well,” Farrer said. “But you’ve got to figure out a way to overcome it when we get a little off target.”
From the player’s perspective, Stafford said that the team needs to read the course better and continue to practice in order to gain the confidence needed to play more aggressively.
By working on these elements of the game over the hiatus from competition, Farrer said that the men’s golf team could be a contender for a conference championship, a feat that has not been accomplished in eight years.
On the women’s side, they will host their own Chick-Fil-A Collegiate Invitational from Oct. 30-31. The women’s team has not had high team placements this fall, but Farrer said that this is not an accurate reflection of the success they have had. The Vikings have faced excruciatingly talented foes throughout the season, including at the Golfweek D-III Invitational. The women placed 23rd in a field of 24.
“When we say we finished 23rd out of 24, that sounds terrible,” Farrer said. “But you could finish 23rd out of 24 and still be a top 30 team in the program. We’re not a top 30 team right now, but I think we can be.”
Senior Teagan Fritts said that she is happy with how her team performed in Florida and she saw glimpses of the potential that this team could reach, but the only thing they are lacking is cohesion.
“I definitely know we can play better,” Fritts said. “I think we tend to play well at different times. We need everything to align and hopefully, that will happen in the spring.”
At their upcoming tournament, Farrer has set a high goal for the Vikings which given their track record this season, he has full confidence they can achieve it and surpass it.
“I’d love to see a top five finish,” Farrer said. “We’ve got some good teams coming to this tournament, but I think the women are comfortable here and they can play their best rounds here.
After the women’s turn to defend their home course, both Viking teams will sit idle until they embark on their spring 2024 campaign.