Written by Chris O’Dell
This year’s Bison golf team contains six player. All six of those golfers are in their freshman or sophomore seasons. With such a young and inexperienced group, success can be unpredictable and sporadic. However, youth hasn’t affected everyone on the squad.
“I don’t think it has played that big of a factor in our tournaments,” freshman Blake Chase said. “Every person on the team has a solid resume and has played a lot of competitive golf.”
Chase said the adjustment to collegiate golf is something a golfer can make fairly easily, but the experience gained along the way doesn’t hurt either.
“I do think we will become more accustomed to the college golf atmosphere and that can do nothing but help us,” Chase said.
Chase, in his first season from Colleyville, Texas, was a four-time all-district and three-time all-region honoree in high school. He also made the Texas Junior Golf Tour All-Tournament Team twice during his time at Fort Worth Christian.
Chase has also seen instant success during his short career as a Bison golfer. The Texas native tied a 30-year-old school record with a 66 in one round at the Bison Fall Golf Classic. His two-round score during the tournament shattered a school record by six strokes. Former Bison Dustin Gourley held the previous record.
Chase and his teammates ended the tournament with a third-place finish. He said that kind of finish is exactly what the team is capable of with so much talent on one team.
“I feel we have shown signs of greatness this season,” Chase said. “We played well at our first tournament this year, and we are only going to get better from here on out. As a team, we need to get back to basics and just go play golf and we will continue to improve from here on out.”
Freshman Ryan Hadash said the team has shown signs of consistency for such a young group of guys.
“Tournament experience can only help individuals,” Hadash said. “Every player can admit to having nerves or jitters before and during the first few tournaments. Some still have them now, but with more experience we will be able to calm down and play our game.”
Like Chase, Hadash is one of four freshmen on the Bison team. The Keller, Texas, native said he expects positive results for the remainder of the season.
“We have a few tough weeks coming up with many challenging tournaments in a row,” Hadash said. “But we are all optimistic for our season ahead, and I think with some hard work and dedication we can hope for a few high finishes and maybe a win here and there.”
With such a young and talented group, the future looks bright for the men’s team. In fact, with the improved success of the team, recruiting should get easier and easier for head coach Dustin Howell.
“The better team you have, the more people will want to be a part of it,” Hadash said. “Many golfers try to use a college team as a way to better their game in hopes of one day becoming professional.”
If the cycle keeps going for the Bisons, the golf team could be one dangerous group for opposing teams in the near future. With the talented young core the team has together now, it might be a sure thing for Chase, Hadash and the rest of the Bison golf team.
“We are just going to play the game we love and hope it loves us back,” Hadash said.
