By: Matthew Moore, Transcript correspondent
The Ohio Wesleyan men’s varsity golf team hosted the two-day Strimer tournament on their home turf April 4, but were unable to pull out the win.
This year’s Strimer tournament at Oakhaven Golf Club yielded some success but was ultimately bittersweet for the team. “We came in third out of eight teams, but we lost to Denison by one shot which was frustrating,” said Zach Shahrokhi a freshman on the team.
One of the captains of the team, senior Kaneat Nimcharoenwan, had success in the individual component of the tournament. “He had been playing well up to that point, and for him to finish second place overall, he will have increased confidence going forward. Something we need not just out of him, but out of everyone,” said junior Ben Thieman.
Preparation was a key component to the success at the Strimer.
“We have been playing a lot of golf this spring to get prepared for the season,” Shahrokhi said. “We have also been working hard to improve our short games because that is one of the keys to being able to play at the collegiate level.”
Golf is traditionally an individual’s sport but in the collegiate arena it is a team sport. This makes tournaments for a player higher stakes. “It is cool because you rely on your teammates to play well and you get to be part of a tight team, but the downside is that you cannot hide your skills,” said Shahrokhi. “Every bad hole hurts yourself and your team. Luckily our team has great chemistry and we all get along very well.”
The team feels that they have the ability to win and have proven their grit this school year. “Our biggest accomplishment was winning a tournament up in Plum Brook near Cleveland,” Thieman said.
As the school year comes to an end the team takes their gained momentum and sets their sights on the conference title. “I have high hopes for the rest of the season,” Shahrokhi said. ”I believe we have improved in skill and as a team over the season, and I believe we have a good chance to finish well in the conference tournament.”