Men's Golf 2007-08 Season Preview
Head
coach Richard Warren believed that the Pacific men's golf team has what
it needed to compete last year a Northwest Conference championship.
That potential showed in many of the team's preparatory tournaments. The Boxers won the Willamette Spring Invitational and finished second in three of their four fall tournaments and their own Pacific Invitational in the spring.
When it came to the conference's counting tournaments, however, the Boxers seemed to have trouble bringing it all together. Pacific finished no better than third in the three counters (with third place coming at the NWC Spring Classic) and finished fourth in the NWC's point standings.
"We performed so well, and then we got to those three major tournaments and couldn't get over the hump," Warren said. "We put some low numbers on the board, but we just didn't show consistency when we got to the second round of those majors. That's what we have to do."
The Boxers return to the course a year wiser, a year more experienced and hungry to prove that they belong within the conference's elite teams. "I really believe that this, without a doubt, is the best group of young men that I have ever had," Warren said. "I have had good players here and there, but from one to eight I feel this is our best group."
The returners who came up short in those majors come back with a strong summer of work under their belt. Combined with three newcomers, the Boxers should field a potent punch.
Taryn Braseth (Sr., Vernonia, Ore.) accepts the leadership mantle on the course with the drive to be one of the best golfers in the conference. Braseth placed in the top-10 in all but one tournament he competed in, but missing all-conference honors left him hungry for his final year.
"If Taryn hasn't worked harder than anyone in the conference, I would be surprised," Warren said. "He's got a lot of tournaments under his belt. He's matured and he understands what it takes."
Tim Andrew (So., Canby, Ore.) only played during the spring season last year, and proved to be a pleasant surprise. Andrew finished sixth for the Boxers at the NWC Spring Classic and, along with Braseth, was tied for third after two rounds of the NWC Championship.
"Tim came in and added some leadership that this program needed," Warren said. "You need a player who can get in people's faces, make others accountable and then back it up. That's what kind of player Tim is."
Brian Pan (Jr., Pullman, Wash.) also looks to make a bigger impact during his junior season. Pan started the season strong, placing high in the fall Pacific Four-Way and Linfield Invitational, but faded as the season progressed. Warren said Pan has put the work in during the summer to become a factor once again.
Warren will also look for stronger contributions from Sean Hamer (So., Gearhart, Ore.) and Jason Nishikawa (Sr., Marysville, Wash.). Hamer made his biggest impact in the fall, placing seventh at the season opening Pacific Four-Way, while Nishikawa finished mid-pack in the NWC Championship.
Among the newcomers, Warren believes he has found a gem in Max Bonk (Fr., Kamuela, Hawaii). The freshman finished in the top-10 in each of the last two Hawaii state high school championships, including fifth place in 2007, and missed the match play round of 64 at this year's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. Bonk missed the cut by four strokes.
"Max has been well tested," Warren said. "He was there (at the Public Links) with the kids from Oregon and Oregon State and just missed being in the match play with them. He's got game."Parrish Evans (Fr., Cave Junction, Ore.) and Ben Wright (Fr., Ashland, Ore.) both bring strong pedigree to the program. Evans was the team Most Valuable Player for his final two years in high school, while Wright averaged 75 per 18 holes as a senior.