In 1961, the men’s golf team set a record of 267 at the Abilene Intercollegiate.
The 2018 team broke the record March 19 with a score of 266 at Battle at the Primm, according to ramsports.net.
“I didn’t realize we broke [the record] until we got back and our head coach told us that it was a new record,” Rowan Lester said. “But it was pretty cool to break a record that has been held for such a long time.”
Lester said he didn’t feel like Primm Valley was significant because it was just another tournament, and the team tries to win them all.
As of March 2, the Rams were ranked second in the NAIA Coaches’ Poll, according to ramsports.net.
The golf team doesn’t have any scheduled practices, but everyone practices almost every day Lester said.
“I believe we have good players but we work pretty hard, some more than others,” Lester said. “But to be honest I thinks it’s a combination of [hard work and talent] then all of us just playing well on the one day, which always helps.”
The best thing about the golf team is that everyone gets along, Lester said, who also noted that the team’s two coaches, Bobby Cornett and Shaun Hensley, are amazing.
“The weather at Prime Valley was very dry so, it makes the ball fly and roll further than usual,” Futa Yamagishi said. “It was hard to judge how far it flies.”
Yamagishi said it didn’t seem like he was playing well until the end of the round because of how relaxed he was.
“My mentality was different,” Yamagishi said. “I was very relaxed and calm; that made me break the record.”
Golf is a very individual sport, Yamagishi said. The golf team is successful because each member is talented and works hard.
“We don’t have any particular practice, but we have to qualify for the team before the tournament,” Yamagishi said.
The best part of the golf team is the comradery and the drive for perfection the team has, Janco Maritz said.
“The golf team practices almost every day of the week,” Maritz said, “most of the time six or seven days a week because we are very dedicated to the sport.”
The team has been so successful because of the amount of hard work the players put in, Maritz said.
“What has made the team so successful is the amount of talent and hard work we have,” Maritz said. “The team has an enormous amount of both talent and hard work, which is the best combination.”
The men’s golf team will compete in the Sooner Athletic Conference’s championship April 23-24 in Oklahoma City. For more information, go to ramsports.net.
