Forward Momentum
The Providence Christian College golf team hosted their first golf tournament of the season at Olivas Links Golf Course in Ventura, CA. The Sea Beggar Invitational was a two day tournament versus Westmont College, The Master's University, Soka University, Simpson University and the Providence Christian Sea Beggars.
The Sea Beggars showed improvement and confidence throughout the two-day invitational. Head Coach, Marc Lengtat, thought this was a great opportunity to see the course for a future golf tournament against a field of solid competition. Coach Lengtat said, "Olivas Links is where the Cal Pac Conference Championship will be held, so the team was able to see the course early and see how their games shape up against it." The team was led by senior Trey Kirschner, senior Sean Vann, and senior Hayden Hughes who stayed consistent from the first tee. The men were also represented by junior Malik Edd, freshman Mateusz Zarzycki, and junior Liam Argue, navigating the course on a gloomy, and at times rainy day. The Sea Beggars finished in third place with the team well represented in the top ten. Sean Vann finished in third place with an overall score of 142 and Hayden Hughes finished in eighth place with an overall score of 145. Trey Kirschner finished just outside the top 10 with an overall score of 150 and a tied sixteenth place finish. Malik Edd finished with 153, Liam Argue finished with 160, and Mateusz Zarzycki rounded out the Sea Beggars with 162.
The course proved to be tough with the previous few weeks of rain impacting how the greens and fairways played. The Sea Beggars stayed mentally strong in spite of these challenges, did not get discouraged, and kept pushing to finish well. Vann and Hughes competed extremely well and had some incredible shots throughout both days, with Sean shooting 71 on both days and Hayden shooting 72 on day one and 73 on day two. In addition, Argue shot a personal best round firing a score of 75 on day two. Coach Lengtat stated, "I am very proud of this team's performance, the team does a great job of rallying around each other, even if someone doesn't play the greatest, the rest of the team picks them up. This tournament was a step in the right direction for the Sea Beggars." Kirschner added, "The momentum that we can take from this tournament cannot be overstated. I really look forward to seeing how the team carries this momentum into our next tournament because a lot of confidence was gained this week. I want Malik and Liam to feel confident in their games and their ability to contribute a score. I want myself and Sean to fight with each other for the individual title. This tournament was a great learning experience and can be very helpful in the tournaments to come."
The Beggars now prepare for its next tournament in North Carolina at the Big Cats Collegiate held at Ocean Ridge Plantation on the Leopard's Chase Golf Links from March 13th to 14th. Edd shared his thoughts on what he and the team can do for the upcoming tournaments saying, "I'm looking forward to our preparation for the upcoming tournament and the remainder of the season. If we prepare correctly, we have a really good chance at placing high and even winning on any given day. This team has a really high ceiling, and if we can continue to play for each other and have great days, the sky's the limit." Coach Lengtat expanded on the next tournament and his hopes for his student-athletes saying, "Our next tournament will be in North Carolina, so we are all excited to take a trip out there and play a different type of course. It should be some great competition, and hopefully it is a memorable tournament for the guys as we will do team bonding activities out there and dive into the Word. This team is growing off the golf course which is awesome to watch, and I hope this trip will deepen those friendships."
There were a lot of positives that came from the Sea Beggar Invitational and each athlete felt the desire to play harder. Coach Lengtat continually looks to fine tune areas to build consistency, decrease errors that can be made, and carry the momentum, confidence, and determination as the season progresses. The Sea Beggars are looking forward to grinding on the practice course and set sail for the upcoming matches.