Speak Softly and Carry a Big Golf Club

In the college golf universe, there's a couple of staple names that grace the leaderboards of the nation. Most of the schools are from the South and West Coast, where the weather is nice and conducive to year-round practice. Schools in the Northeast typically don't grace those radars and don't make the splash expected out of those bigger name schools.

As the fall comes to a close, people could be forced to take note of a new name.

Boston College is finishing up one of its most successful autumns. Its women's team finished first in its first three tournaments then finished second in the Yale Intercollegiate Championship hosted in New Haven, Conn.

The BC men finished fourth at the Janney Invitational hosted by VCU, then won an individual championship during a sixth-place team finish at the MacDonald Cup hosted by Yale. Last week, the Eagles joined the women as a team at the podium, winning the Connecticut Cup hosted by UConn, which included four top-15 finishers and a tie atop the leaderboard.

"We've had a lot of success (this year)," said head coach Drew Kayser. "Our players worked hard over the summer and then came back this year ready to play. Our schedule gave us some opportunities to win, and we've performed very well in some competitive events."

At the individual level, BC has found success with breakout performances in both genders. On the women's side, freshman Lois Kaye Go is already making immediate impacts, earning the Eagles' first ACC Golfer of the Month since the program joined the conference in 2005.

"Lois is a phenomenal student-athlete," said Kayser. "We watched her play in some junior events, and we saw an awesome athlete and student to add to our proram. She's incredibly dedicated, and she has all the pieces at being great. She doesn't display nerves, even if they're there, and she's already been an inspiration for our golf program. Our freshman class is currently ranked #1 in the nation for their class, and that puts them better than some programs like Georgia and Florida."

For the men, sophomore Matthew Naumec's added to the hardware total. At Yale, he won his first career victory by finishing -10 (64-69-67--200), a three stroke victory over the next closest competitor. Carrying that momentum to the Connecticut Cup, he finished in a tie for first before losing in a playoff to St. John's Gerry Mackedon.

"Matt is the type of golfer that you look at his swing and just say 'Wow!'" said Kayser. "He had a good summer, and he parlayed that into the fall. We graduated Nick Padalena last year, who had all the requisites to go on and be a pro. Matt was a little bit in his shadow, and now he's a leader in a lot of different areas. He's very good at golf but he's helped build the culture that we want (in the program)."

Golf is a unique sport because team championships rely on individual performances. Those individual games need to hone their skills in order to combine for team scores.

"There's a lot of individuality (in golf)," said Kayser, "so we do our practices in sections. There are times when we do internal competitions, qualifying, and drills. We do independent practice time. We do stretches where we work on individual games, where it might be to work on short games or alignment.

"One good thing about golf is that there's so much instructional information available," continued the coach. "So we can do a lot of statistical analysis to work on weakness while also spending time on strengths. A coach works on where to focus that energy to find out what might help assist and help avoid losing focus."

As individuals, both Go and Naumec bring unique approaches to the course. Go describes herself as calm on the tee, bringing an approach that each round is "just another round" despite their uniqueness.

"I try to play each course and stick to a gameplan," said Go. "I try to have no expectations so I won't let them ruin the game; each round is different and unique, so I try to keep that mindset to play (each round.)"

"A big part of my game is my driver," said Naumec. "If I can get off the tee strong, then my go-to is my wedge play within 100 yards. I know that I can get the ball within 10-15 feet. I've been honing on consistency, and that consistency carried through UConn. It helps to build that confidence off the tee."

Although there's an individual approach to the game, Boston College still enforces a community and team feel. For example, during the practice round, Naumec was on the putting green with freshman teammate Christian Cavaliere. Discussing different putting techniques, "he told me that he doesn't think, that he just goes after the hole," said Naumec. "I tried to do that and I had one of my best putting displays.

"Boston College has a great community, and (the golf team) is like a family," he continued. "There's that level of compassion that mixes into the golf. We have a chance to play in the best conference in the nation. It gives us a chance to be complete student-athletes, working together (on the course) and learning from some of the greatest professors and teachers possible."

For Go, a native of the Phillippines, it was an especially perspective for her rookie season.

"It's pretty rough to just go right into the season (after arriving on campus)," she said, "especially with how unusual the schedule is. But BC has a great community. Everyone has been warm, and it's helped me adjust better to being here."

It's that family mentality that will help bring Boston College to the forefront of a very unique collegiate golf landscape. Continuing its quest to grow the program, BC will host a tournament next fall at the team's home course of Blue Hills Golf Club, a 27-hole facility in Canton, Mass. Tentatively named the BC Intercollegiate Tournament, "it will be a great opportunity to host schools from the Dakotas, the Carolinas and the Ivy League," Kayser said. "It's a great course, and they've given us great support."

In a sport that competes throughout the year, BC deals with the challenge of playing in the Northeast. As autumn turns into winter, the most obvious hurdle is the potential for cold and inclement weather, meaning the team has to capitalize at opportunities when they present themselves.

"We hope to continue to perform at a high level," Go said. "We want to stay at our current ranking while we try to improve a bit so we can have a chance to get into a regional competition. We want to play well, and we know the weather will be a challenge for us."

"We have a high motivation to compete," Naumec said. "We want to make a name of Boston College and as a team. Our win at UConn showed that we can put our name out there, and that's a menality that we have to have when we get into the snowy months. We're going to be challenged by weather, so we have to make our time worthwhile."

"We were lucky last winter that it was mild," Kayser said. "We're hoping that we can get a little lucky this year as well. While we have the chance, we have to make the time to keep working as long as we can and make the most of the opportunities that we have."

Players Mentioned

Christian Cavaliere

Matt Naumec