The ultimate goal for every serious golfer is to go pro. For junior Harding student and golf team captain Lucas Collins, that dream comes closer to reality after every amateur tournament he plays in.

On Tuesday, July 10, Collins competed in the United States Amateur Qualifier in Texarkana, Ark. After two rounds, he tied for 6th place, finishing four under par and scoring a 69 and a 71, respectively. Out of the 84 golfers competing, the top three qualify to play in the United States Amateur tournament. Anyone is allowed to sign up andcompete in these tournaments as long as he or she has amateur status and has never accepted money or recognition.

Though Collins has high hopes for his future in golf, he is open to the idea that it may just end up as a sport he plays for fun.

“If things continue to go well, I will try to pursue golf on a pro level,” Collins said. “If that doesn’t work out, I will still enjoy golf and play on the weekends with my friends.”

The Harding golf team captain has been playing golf since he was in the 8th grade. After graduating from Harrison High School in Harrison, Ark., in 2010, Collinscame to Harding. He has been a member of the golf team for three years and is looking forward to the upcoming season.

“I think we have gotten better,” Collins said. “We have a good recruiting class and are returning almost everyone.”

The team has three new freshman from Florida contributing this year, in addition to only having lost two seniors last year. Brandon Clark, who was chosen as Freshman of the Year last year, will also be returning this season, according to Collins.

“We finished 5th in the conference last year,” Collins said. “We are probably a favorite to win this year, though.”

The Bisons start their season on Sept. 24 in their first tournament at Northeastern State University.

As for the Lady Bisons, their season began on Sept. 10 at the Drury Invitational in Bolivar, Mo. Over the course of two days, the Lady Bisons scored a total of 649, putting them in 7th place out of 19 teams.

Sophomore Emily Plyler scored the lowest on the team, shooting a 158 after both rounds, leaving her tied for 14th place.

Senior Becca Godman said she is confident in the team this season. “Well, I think we have a really good shot at repeating our conference victory this year, but wehave to put in the hours to make it happen,” Godman said. “We are all determined to put in the time that it will take to win.”

She is hoping the team improves with each tournament, but is content with how the season started.

“We had a good start at our first tournament, finishing 7th out of 19 teams,” Godman said. “We have had a strong start, but we are all striving for a better finish every tournament. We know we can do better and are just taking it one tournament at a time.

The Lady Bisons next match is round one of the Central Oklahoma Broncho Classic on Oct. 1 in Edmond, Okla.