UMPI Owls Men’s Golf Team Thriving in the 2023 Season with Depth and Senior Leadership

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - The UMPI Owls Men’s Golf team started the 2023 season with strong senior leaders and a deep roster, looking to use these strengths for excellent performances.

Gavin Kane, UMPI Men’s Golf Head Coach:” We’re still fairly inexperienced with our golf team, we’ve made steady progress over the last couple of years, we are very much looking forward to this season”.

Tim Burns, UMPI Graduate:” I’m confident in that we have a little bit more depth so, you know previous years we’ve had some low numbers like I remember my freshman year when we had five guys so everyone there had to play but now, you know if someone is maybe in a rut on the course, they can; we can rely on some of our depth you know and have some more people that can plug and play in the match lineup”.

The UMPI Men’s golf team began their season with a 10-player roster, one of their largest in recent years. Head Coach Gavin Kane is focused on giving new players valuable experience on the course.

Gavin Kane:” For the new guys, it will be you know really just getting that opportunity to get their feet wet you know and get over the nerves because this is a game you can’t play uptight. If you do, your going to struggle. and we’ve seen some of our older guys go through those stages and now that they’ve been with us for 4 years years, I think their much more relaxed and ready to lead our team”.

Coach Kane lauds the team’s senior leadership, featuring 4 returning players this season who have dedicated themselves to honing their skills during the offseason.

Tim Burns: My struggle always has been getting off the tee, so trying to hit driver you know, straighter, especially in the tighter courses and then; you always got to work on short game too even if you think its a little bit proficient”.

Payton Jones, UMPI Graduate:” Probably my iron game, the second shot cause for me short game and driving has been pretty good and working at a golf course this year, I was able to get out a lot on the driving range and just work on irons”.

One major challenge for these players in the sport is the mental aspect, but their experience has forged strong mental toughness to handle whatever comes their way.

Payton Jones:” For me I try not to let it get to me, i try to just stay calm and not really think about it. For me, I used to think about it a lot and like well that kid is playing a lot better then me now I’m just kind of like, just having a better game then me, just play your game”.

Joey Lippo, UMPI SENIOR: " In the past, I dwelled on bad shots and past couple of years I give myself 10 seconds to be mad and move on. Having that time limit allows me to move on quicker and be more relaxed during the golf course”.

While there’s more work to be done, the team has steadily improved over the years, making their matches increasingly competitive, and they are optimistic about achieving success this season.

Jonathon Eigenmann, Newssource sports

Copyright 2023 WAGM. All rights reserved.