The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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man Augusta James could be successful in college, she doesn't have to think long for an example of the first-class attributes the youngster displayed on the golf course. Marsh immediately thinks back to the pres- tigious Western Junior Championship during James' sophomore year of high school. James was having an off day, but that W was part of what caught Marsh's eye. The coach was impressed with the competitor's attributes despite some struggles in a tough tournament, and the same traits that Marsh witnessed on that day have helped to make BY RYAN TICE hen NC State head golf coach Page Marsh is asked what she saw during the recruiting pro- cess that made her think fresh- to a team-best No. 47 national ranking from Golfweek. "Augusta is a first," Marsh said. "We've had some strong performances and some really strong players come through, but for Augusta to do what she did in her first se- mester of her freshman year, I think that's definitely a new standard that she has set for our program. "I knew she had the talent and the desire. In coaching, I've learned that you recruit your players in one setting and you move them into a new setting so, for a freshman, making that transition is really key — they can have the talent, but there are also all of these new variables for them to juggle. With her skill set, she was able to juggle school, being away from home, academics and college golf." James recorded a tie for 38th in her college debut at the Cougar Classic, while the team set a school record for tournament score (864), before she notched a fourth-place fin- ish at the Cardinal Cup, which the Pack won. She also placed 31st at the Landfall Tradi- tion, but she put up her best performance at the Tar Heel Invitational on Oct. 7-9. She tied for second while scoring better than the top-four players in the national rank- ings at the time, and she finished just one shot behind the winner. James set a school record with an 8-under-par 208 after 54 holes and turned in a lower score than 30 play- ers ranked in the nation's top 100. Overall, James posted three of the team's top six individual rounds of the fall with a pair of 69s and a 70. James one of the most successful rookies in program history. "As a coach, I really enjoy watching when Augusta James Is Off To A Fast Start On The Golf Course The pipeline from the neighboring coun- ROOKIE "I didn't want to look at college golf as a someone is having a bad day and how they handle that," Marsh explained. "Sports teach us a great deal of humility because we prob- ably fail more than we succeed. It's real easy to be successful, it's how you manage disap- pointment — that's when you begin to see someone's true character. "When I watched Augusta play, I saw her demeanor and I could see her passion for the game. Then, I got to see her have a four-putt at the Western Junior. I got to see how she managed having a big disappointment, and you could tell she had an appropriate level of disappointment, but you could also tell she didn't spend a lot of extra energy on it — it happened, it was in the past and she moved on. And that was when she was a sophomore, so that really struck me about how mature and how steady she is, how she was able to manage herself with grace." Marsh has not seen James struggle much since arriving in Raleigh, though. The Bath, Ont., native was the only player on the squad to have all 11 rounds of the fall season count toward the team score, and she also paced the squad with a 73.9 stroke average en route James, a true freshman, paced the Wolfpack with a 73.9 stroke average in the fall en route to receiving a team-best No. 47 individual national ranking from Golfweek. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS try to the north that the men's team started helped bring James' attention to State, and she committed during her junior year of high school, when fellow Canadian Matt Hill was on the path to claiming an NCAA title. The fact that there were already a few Ca- nadians on campus — four currently populate scary or unattainable thing," James said. "I came into it with an open mind and knew that if I worked hard, I could compete with anybody. This summer was my first time with the Canadian Junior Development team and that experience was second to none, it was really awesome. "I didn't want to look at college golf as a scary or unattainable thing. I came into it with an open mind and knew that if I worked hard, I could compete with anybody." ■ James the women's roster — and Vivian Tsui, a teammate on the Canadian Junior Develop- ment last year, was also headed to Raleigh made it an easy choice for James, who was ranked as the No. 20 golfer in the 2011 class and the No. 1 player in Ontario. James, Tsui and sophomore Brittany Marchand, who is one of the five members named to the 2012 Canadian National Team alongside James, have all known each other since they were about 7 years old. "The coaches and athletes at NC State are so welcoming that when I came here, it felt like a second home," James remembered. "Another awesome asset to living in the Car- olinas instead of playing golf in Canada is how late you can play. I've never experienced being able to play golf for so many months of the year." "Having a good summer and playing with that team made coming into college golf a little easier. I played pretty well coming in so I thought, 'Why would things change if I keep working hard?'" The coach thinks that the step up to col- lege competition has pushed James, who will move up to the Canadian National Team in 2012, to take her game to a higher level than ever before. Her play has helped lift the Pack into the national rankings for the first time in school history, standing No. 16 in the Nov. 28 Golf World/NGCA Coaches' poll. "I had my goals coming into the semes- ter and I'm happy that I achieved them," James said. "But I think there is lot more golf out there for me. I'm still setting higher and higher goals for myself and I think I'll achieve them." ■ JANUARY 2012 ■ 59 R e c o r d - S e t t i n g