The Grand Valley State University men’s golf team began its season with a trip to American Dunes Golf Club for the Folds of Honor Collegiate last week. The Lakers finished ninth overall in the three-day tournament, shooting a collective 20 over par.
American Dunes, located in Grand Haven, is known to be a tough course to post low scores, which can force golfers to play the course much differently than many others. The Folds of Honor Collegiate is one of the biggest Division I events of the year, and the Lakers’ placement marks the their highest finish in the four years they’ve participated.
Junior Maverick Conaway recounted the team’s approach to American Dunes last Monday through Wednesday.
“We did some different shots because everything runs off away from the greens,” said Conaway. “Because it’s such a demanding (and) tight golf course, if you are not hitting it solid or straight, you can make some big numbers.”
Competing against numerous Division I schools, GVSU was led in score by senior Manuel Cue Vargas, who finished tied for 11th, with seniors Bryce Wheeler and Charley Cooley, along with Conaway, all ending tied for 28th.
Cue tallied a final round of 73 (+2) with five birdies, and Wheeler shot a 73, as well with four birdies of his own. Both Conaway and Cooley finished with a 75, with Conaway tallying an eagle and a birdie in the final round of play.
Conaway described how, despite playing in a tournament with plenty of high-level Division I schools, he remained calm about what he needed to do individually.
“We just keep a level head,” said Conaway. “We can only control what we can control, and so you focus on hitting good shots and playing out best, which helps the team stay up with those big teams.”
Despite the Lakers achieving their best team-finish at the Folds of Honor, Conaway admitted there is room to improve, and that this is not the team’s final form.
“We didn’t play the best, but (it was) a hard golf course and a hard setup,” said Conaway, portraying the team’s optimistic outlook. “We still did a lot of good things.”
Conaway noted the Lakers’ ultimate vision is to collect some hardware from a national championship.
“Team-wise, we are going to win a national championship,” said Conaway. “(Focusing on) nothing else, we are going to go and try to win every single golf tournament and win a national championship. That’s all we’re set on.”
The next opportunity to work toward their goal will be at a familiar spot, The Meadows, Monday, Sept. 15 to Wednesday, Sept. 17.
“We’re just going to be ready to go,” said Conaway. “We know (The Meadows) like the back of our hand, so we’re just going to go dominate it.”
