The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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76 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER L ongtime (46 years) and retiring men's golf head coach Richard Sykes would have a hard time picking out some of his favor- ite events on the schedule this spring. As he joked, "I schedule where I like to go." Thus, he's familiar with the stops ahead in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Statesboro, Ga., and Mount Pleasant, S.C., among others. Don't expect Sykes to call it a farewell tour, though, and don't expect his players to treat it as such. "They won't even think about it," Sykes said. "They're young, so they don't worry about that stuff. They're not old so they don't think they are ever going to get old. "They're going to be fine, and I think they all got goals for themselves." From a coaching standpoint, Sykes' final team has to rank among his youngest. All but two members of the roster are freshmen or sophomores. "That does make you a little nervous sometimes, but these guys are really good," Sykes said. "They're really good players; how they handle everything that goes around them and the tournaments that they are in and who they are paired with." It helps that a couple of the younger players have extensive experience playing in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) — sophomore Stephen Franken and freshman Benjamin Shipp. Senior Ja- cob McBride also formerly played in the AJGA. It's not a coincidence those three make up part of the core of Sykes' lineup from the fall carrying over into the spring. An- other in that group is sophomore Davis Richards from Hickory Grove, N.C. "They [Franken, Shipp and McBride] played in a lot of events with all the best players in the country," Sykes noted. "Davis was more of a local player, but it doesn't seem to bother him whatsoever, so I think we'll be fine." The fifth spot is more up for grabs, but it did not take long for sophomore Harri- son Rhoads to make a positive impression after transferring in from Georgetown. Rhoads played all 11 of Georgetown's tournaments as a freshman in 2015-16 and was second-team All-Big East after post- ing an average round of 72.93, third best in the conference. ■ PREVIEW MEN'S GOLF ONE FINAL ROUND Wolfpack Will Compete This Spring For The Last Time Under Richard Sykes Freshman Benjamin Shipp was considered the top-ranked junior golfer in the class of 2016 and has made a quick impact since arriving in Raleigh. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS ■ Key Events To Watch • Wolfpack Spring Open, April 14‑15 — The last event before the ACC Championships will be held on Centen- nial Campus' Lonnie Poole Golf Course & Carol Johnson Poole Club House. • ACC Championships, April 21‑23 — This year 's league tournament will be held in Clinton, S.C., after moving out of North Carolina due to the fallout from its HB2 state law.