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The UNM men’s golf team is on a roll heading into the final month of the season.
The team started off a little slow in the fall, finishing fifth and seventh in its first two tournaments, respectively. Things started to fall into place when the Lobos won their only home tournament, the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate. After taking second in each of the last two fall tournaments, the team went into winter break ranked fourth in the nation.
Since the team returned from break, its success has continued. The Lobos finished either first or second in each of their first four spring tournaments.
“We really got it going towards the end of the fall, and the guys started off well in the spring,” UNM head coach Glen Millican said. “All year long, what’s really helped us is that we’ve had a lot of guys step up. When you have five guys that have the ability to contribute each round, it gives you a better chance to be consistent.”
The only team to beat UNM over that span was top-ranked California. The Lobos earned a win of their own over the Bears at the Arizona Intercollegiate on Jan. 28 and 29.
“(California) has been the best team in the nation all year long,” Millican said. “Playing a team like that is a great measuring stick. It’s hard enough just to win a college tournament. Beating California gave our guys the feeling that if they play well, they can beat anybody.”
UNM is ranked third in the nation and has three players ranked in the top 50 individually. Senior James Erkenbeck is ranked 13th and sophomores Gavin Green and Victor Perez rank 30th and 44th, respectively. Erkenbeck and Green have individual tournament wins this season, too: Erkenbeck tied for the win at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters in Las Vegas, Nev., and Green won the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate.
“James Erkenbeck has definitely led the way for us,” Millican said. “He picked up a huge win in Las Vegas and has had a very consistent year, finishing in the top 10 quite a bit.”
With three tournament wins, the Lobos are tied with Alabama for the second-most tournament wins in the nation this year. Those victories came at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate in Albuquerque, the Arizona Intercollegiate in Tucson, Ariz., and the National Invitational Tournament, also in Tucson. California leads the nation with eight tournament wins.
Today the team will travel to Tempe, Ariz., for the ASU Thunderbird Invitational. Next week, the team travels to Austin, Texas, for the Morris Williams Invitational. The Lobos then have a break before the Mountain West Championships in Tucson, which start May 3.
Should UNM continue playing at a high level, the team will find itself playing in the postseason of collegiate golf. The NCAA Division I Regionals are May 16-18. If the Lobos finish in the top five there, they will earn a trip to the national championship tournament. Nationals will be held in Atlanta from May 28 to June 2.
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“We have to be as prepared as we can for each tournament,” Millican said. “If our guys are patient, play their own game and just worry about the things that they can control, then we have a great opportunity to play well. We’ve done a great job of doing that up to this point and we’ve proven that we can play with anybody.”
