Fully Engaged
The Providence Christian College Men's golf teams took the eight-and-a-half-hour drive north, to Redding, CA, for the California Pacific Conference Championships on April 11th-13th. With three rounds ahead of them, there was great anticipation leading into the tournament for how they would perform when it mattered most. The weather was gorgeous for the practice round, but it quickly turned south as the tournament began, creating an element of adversity for the field of competition. The temperatures were cold, the winds gusted and swirled, and there was periodic rain. Not ideal conditions for championship golf, but the Sea Beggars put their heads down and competed.
The men teed off mid-morning of day one, and the wind was in full force. The Sea Beggars had a challenging day to say the least but remained in the hunt as everyone in the field struggled with the conditions. The team never wavered and maintained their confidence that a rally was imminent. After day one, Nick Chavez and Hayden Hughes (SO/Bakersfield, CA) were tied for 6th place with an 81, and the team was in 5th place overall. The men continued to chip away in day two with Marc Lengtat (SR/Corning, CA) shooting a blistering two over 74, and freshman Trey Kirshner rebounding from a rough day one, shooting a 79. The Sea Beggars were up and down throughout the day but were ultimately able to move up one position and come in 4th heading into the final day of competition.
Day three had everyone on pins and needles, with the Sea Beggars ranging anywhere from 5th place to 2nd place throughout the day. Malik Edd (FR/Oklahoma City, OK) and his foursome were the first group to finish as he recorded an 88 for the day. After a long delay between groups, Trey Kirshner completed his final round, and again had a solid score of 79. Hayden Hughes and Nick Chavez's foursomes both came in shortly after, each finishing with solid scores of 77. With the last groups scorecards not being completed for the final six holes, there was great anticipation as the final group approached the 18th green. The gallery watched as Marc Lengtat and his foursome appeared over the hill on the 18th fairway. Each player hit beautiful shots to set up mid-range putts on their final hole. As Lengtat sank his five-foot putt, it became clear that the Sea Beggars had made school history. For the first time in program history the Providence golf team finished in 2nd place, it's highest finish in the Cal Pac championships. With Lengtat's final putt for a 77, he had also cemented his 5th place finish and placement on the All-Conference Team, which was also a program first.
When asked about the tournament, Chavez said, "I would say going into the event we were probably seen as underdogs, but we did not feel that way. We knew as a team we were good enough to compete with the top teams. We all had to contribute and play well, and for the most part we did. The weather and course were very difficult, but we were able to stay cool under the pressure. While we are happy with finishing 2nd, I know that we could of have done better out there. I'm already excited for next season because I know as a team we can accomplish more." Head Coach Todd Bowers reflected, "It was very satisfying to close out the event strong and break multiple school records along the way. I am very pleased with the fight and grit we put forth in competing. The experience of our veterans was vital to our success and probably made a difference down the stretch. It was another step forward in the young program as multiple program records were broken. The team had its highest finish ever in the conference championship. Nick Chavez won the first ever tournament by a Sea Beggar earlier in the year and led Providence in scoring. Marc Lengtat earned the first ever All-conference accolades and finished 2nd in team scoring average. Along with Chavez's win, the Sea Beggars accumulated four top five finishes and eleven top ten tallies. Chavez, Lengtat, Hughes, and Kirschner all tallied multiple top ten finishes. I tip my hat to these guys, saying well done. We will get them next year."
As if that were not enough pressure, relieved by elation, and with many people still on the 18th hole, Marc Lengtat walked his parents and girlfriend onto the green for a "photo opportunity". Lengtat proceeded to get on one knee and propose to his girlfriend. The crowd cheered as she said yes, and the two hugged for the first time as an engaged couple. It was a beautiful finish to an incredible day, a wonderful season, and unforgettable moments that will be remembered by all in attendance. Tyler Stauffer (SO/Flowery Branch, GA) played the first round and then spent the next two rounds walking alongside Lengtat helping him remain in the moment and finish well. When asked about his time with Marc, Stauffer said, "I didn't do much more than just have conversations and distract him from golf. Marc didn't have his best stuff, but he fought and grinded for every shot and I'm just glad I got to be a part of something like that. Top five finish as an Individual, 2nd place finish as a team, and he got engaged. You can't really write a fairytale much better than that. And I'm just proud of all the guys. We've been working hard all year and it's a great feeling to see it all pay off."
Lengtat shared his perspective from the week saying, "There was definitely a lot of pressure going into this week. I was playing a course I played in high school, my family was going to be there, and I knew I was going to propose at the end of the last day. In order for the proposal to work out perfectly, I needed to be in the last group so nobody else was behind me, so when I proposed I could take my time and it wouldn't be rushed. So, the first two days were crucial to try to get in the last group on the third day, and I made that happen. Going into this tournament I knew this course like the back of my hand, so I was already ahead of everyone. I also knew that cold and windy weather was what we were going to be playing in, so I knew I had more than half the field beat going into the tournament. The mental toughness from everyone that played had to be at their best to play good at this course.
"A strong mind is one of the key components that separates the great from the good." Gary Player…I think this quote is so true and what came into play for me that week. Golf is more mental than anything and that week I was so tired after every round because I put my mind through a marathon. I had to fight for every shot because I knew every shot meant something. The third day was the greatest day of them all. I knew no matter what I shot it was going to be a great day, so we kept saying "why not have a day today". With that mindset, knowing either way today was going to be memorable, we fought the whole 3rd round. The second day I shot my low round of 74, which helped me the most, but to me that wasn't the most important round. The third day I grinded starting at hole one. I knew where I stood starting the day at T6, and knew I needed to move at least one spot to make the All-Conference team. And by far I did not have my A game that third day; I would have graded my game as a C-, but my mental game was an A. I finished with a 77 to be T5 and be called All Conference. Tyler Stauffer had a huge impact on my 3rd round, as he was with me the whole day and kept me in my bubble.
I didn't think about the engagement until the last hole, and when I finished my round, I forgot about my score and what happened. All I knew was that it was time to get on one knee and ask an important question. I had a ton of support from my family and friends being there and having my team as well was huge. It was a perfect day. My fiancé and I both got some hardware that day.
With the season concluding, there is added anticipation for the years to come knowing that the Sea Beggars are chipping away towards further success. The men's team took great strides in the 2021-2022 season, and each student-athlete is chomping at the bit to get back at it for the 2022-2023 season.
