The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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MARCH 2015 ■ 65 playing for us this year, and we'll wait to see who steps up after that. Right now, we've got a lot of qualifying going on to see who is going to be in the pecking order." North Carolina's weather has thrown the team a curveball of its own, and they were not able to practice outside for nearly two weeks before the first spring competition. However, NCSU is more prepared than ever with its state-of-the-art facilities inside of the Carol Johnson Poole Clubhouse, which was completed last spring. "Fortunately, we do have some indoor simulators that we've never had before," Sykes said. "It's sure better than what we had in the past. "We've worked really hard, and I think the guys are going to be well prepared when they start back playing. It's just a matter of adjusting to competition once again." The goals are simple for this season, according to Sykes, and they all center on getting back to a regional. "Every time we play, we're fighting and trying to make sure we finish high enough and with a good enough record to make it to the NCAA Championships," he said. "That's our goal, that's what we're playing for. Every time we tee it up and with every swing we make, that has to be on our mind — that this is important. "It will all depend on how these guys play and how they handle all of the dif- ferent situations they're in. We'll add it together, and see what we get." ■ Noting The Pack • Longtime head coach Richard Sykes, who was inducted into the Golf Coaches' Hall of Fame in 2001, has taken advantage of his surroundings. The NC State alum's roster is full of North Carolina natives — 10 of his 13 players hail from the state. The Canadian pipeline that includes former NCAA champion Matt Hill has also continued; freshman Carter Simon is an Ontario native. ■ Key Events To Watch • General Jim Hackler Championship, March 9-10 — This event at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C., will feature six teams ranked among the nation's top 50. Six of the Pack's 11 outings on the 2014-15 slate will be held in North or South Carolina. • Wolfpack Spring Open, April 18-19 — Each of the Pack's final three outings will be held in their home state, starting with the Gary Koch Invitational in Gastonia and continuing with State's hosted event at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course. Last year, the team finished fourth out of 15 teams. • ACC Championship, April 24-26 — NCSU has finished ninth at the league tournament in each of the last three years, so they will be looking for an improvement there. The conference championship has been held at the Old North State Club in New London, N.C., every year since 1995. Key Players To Watch Junior David Cooke Cooke was the team's top player in the fall, despite still being fairly new to competitive golf — Sykes noted this is only his fourth year. The former transfer from Purdue is a Bolingbrook, Ill., native and paced the squad with an 18-hole average of 71.7 through three fall tournaments, including a co-championship at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate. He is the only player on the roster with a tournament championship. Junior Carter Page The Waynesville, N.C., native has been a regular in the lineup for each of the past two years. As a freshman, he tied for the team lead with a 32nd-place showing at the NCAA Tallahassee (Fla.) Regional after starting the final five events of the year. Last season, he ranked second on the team in scoring average (75.0) and posted a pair of top-20 finishes. He has added two more this fall and is one of only two players with multiple top-10 finishes on his résumé. Redshirt senior James Chapman Only two players besides Cooke and Page represented the Pack in all three fall tournaments — redshirt sophomore Stanhope Johnson and Chapman, the fifth-year from Gastonia. He re - ally came on strong last year, starting all 11 tournaments and having all 30 rounds played count towards the team score. The 65 he shot at the Tar Heel Invitational marked the team's best single-round score, and he leads the team with five top 20 finishes during his career. ■ By The Numbers 2 Strokes was all that separated the top five players' average 18-hole score during the fall season. Junior David Cooke led the team in scoring average (71.7), while rookie Carter Simon checked in at No. 5 (73.6). 7 Of the 13 players on the roster have at least one top-10 finish during their career. 47 Is NC State's national ranking according to Golfweek's Feb. 15 poll. In the fall, they posted a record of 24-17 and recorded three wins over teams ranked in the top 50. 51 Team wins have been recorded in program history. The most recent was State's champi- onship at the 2014 Wolfpack Intercollegiate in October; they were the only team among the 18 entered to finish under par. Last season, junior Carter Page ranked second on the team in scoring average (75.0) and posted a pair of top-20 finishes. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS