Hannah Preston | Banner Christian Sanders, junior exercise science major, practiced chipping for the first spring tournament, Folino Invitational, in Fullerton Feb 15.
With such a successful fall season, both the men’s and women’s golf teams at California Baptist University said they are excited to improve this spring season.
Chris Carew, sophomore business administration major and member of the men’s golf team, said he acknowledges how hard work goes hand-in-hand with success.
“If you want to win and be successful, you have to work hard and cannot get lazy,” Carew said. “I came here to play a sport. You need to put in the effort if you want the results. That is one of the things we have become a lot better at as a team.” Even though the golf season is split into a fall and spring season, both are equally important. Building off of the success from the fall, both teams have their eyes set on winning conference and PacWest.
“Every tournament you play matters just as much in September as it does in April,” said John Hackney, head coach of the men’s and women’s golf teams. The women finished their fall season ranked No. 13 in the nation and kicked off the spring season finishing second of 14 teams in the PLNU Super San Diego Championship.
“We played well on a difficult golf course, so we are off to a good start,” Hackney said. “There is a lot of talent and great passion from every one of them.” From the fall to the spring, the women’s team has grown in team chemistry and each player has common goals for the team.
Katherine Pimpanit, senior communication studies major and member of the women’s golf team, said she has learned a lot in her last fall season and plans to apply it to her last spring season.
“I learned to be a better team player and work on my short game,” Pimpanit said. “I am feeling pretty confident about this spring season.”
As a senior, Pimpanit passes on words of wisdom to her fellow teammates.
“God is always with you no matter how bad your round is,” Pimpanit said.
As for the men’s team, even though they have struggled with being short-handed on the team because of injuries, they are still in position to go to the NCAA tournament.
“We are loaded with talent, we have received some great men’s players,” Hackney said. “There is a lot of balance, and I really like the chemistry within the teams. It is shaping up to be a really fun year.”
Both teams have had successful starts and plan to bring the success over into their future seasons. The men’s season began Feb. 15 in Fullerton, and the women host their next tournament Feb. 22 in Corona.
