The Pioneer men’s golf team will return four of last year’s Sun Belt Conference champion team to this year’s SBC Championships, which began yesterday and extend through tomorrow. After the first day of action on Monday, Denver is tied for 9th at 33-over par on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at The Shoals in Muscle Shoals, Ala.
“Our chances are pretty good,” said head coach Eric Hoos. “We won last year, and that’ll help the players’ confidence, but mostly, if they just trust in their own abilities and skill, we should be fine.”
The returning Pioneer champions include three sophomores and one senior. Sophomore Chun-Ji Kim currently leads Denver with a season average of 72.67 strokes at 0.67 over-par and sits in 7th at three-over par after the first round. Following Kim, fellow sophomore Ole Ramsnes is tied for 11th at four-over par and is currently maintaining a 73.19 average score at 1.33-over-par this year.
Sophomore Oskar Arvidsson is tied for 40th at 11-over par and holds a 73.38 average score at 1.52-over par. Last of the DU champions is senior Troy Anderson, who led the team at the 66th Annual Western Intercollegiate April 14-15, finishing 17th. He currently sits at 52nd with a 15-over par and holds a season average score of 74.05, at 2.19 over par. Last year, Anderson posted the highest finish for the Pioneers at the championships, tying for 6th place with a score of two-under par at 142.
Along with the four returning champions, junior Jordan Burgess Anderson (77.75 average score, at 6.00 over par), who transferred to DU this year, will be heading to the SBC Championships for the first time, along with freshmen Victor Doka (74.57, 2.71) and Andy Yang (80.22, 8.22).
In the build-up to the championship, Hoos said the team has been trying to focus more on the mental side of things and getting into a good mindset than on last-minute corrections.
“It’s always just the little things,” said Hoos. “When you’re young, if you’re worried in a game, you have a habit of hitting a few bad shots or hitting a couple bad putts and you start tinkering with your swing or your putting stroke or something instead of just being confident with it. [It’s about knowing] what’s correct and sticking with it.”
The Pioneers must defeat 10 teams to maintain their title. North Texas and Middle Tennessee will likely prove the toughest competitors, according to Hoos.
“I think we have a good shot,” said Hoos. “I want the players to trust in their own ability. Having won the SBC championship last year is certainly going to help.”
The championship continues today and Wednesday, concluding Denver’s final season in the SBC. The Pioneers will return to action at the NCAA Regionals May 17-19.
