Swinging up to par

The golf team is getting back into the swing of things as they enter the 2018-2019 season.

After finishing 8th in the regional tournament, the team is coming off a season they will hope to improve upon. Senior Gabe Lench has his eyes on the national championship for his final year.

“The team goal is still the same and that is to make the national championship,” Lench said. “We have been really close the last three years going to regionals every year.”

The golf program is one of many teams that has entered the Athletic Sun Conference (ASUN) this year, and a new conference means new challenges. Head Coach Jeff Thomas is ready for the path that lies ahead. 

“Being in a new conference hasn’t changed much for us, it will be a change for the conference championship,” Thomas said. 

Lench is ready to get to work in the ASUN and is hoping to make an impact in a big way.

“Now that we have joined the ASUN, I would love to have Liberty control the ASUN, that is another goal of mine,” Lench said. 

Although Lench wants to make an impact, he understands that it will not come easily.

“We have joined a couple tournaments that I feel like will really help our overall schedule and help us to generate some better overall ranking points if we were to compete and do well,” Lench said. “We will be going to a bigger conference with better teams, so we will have to focus a lot more.”

(Photo by Jessie Rogers)

Thomas has recognized that this new conference has more competition with teams like North Florida who is consistently ranked and Jacksonville who has been in the post season the last few years.

“This is going to be a lot more competitive, especially with teams like North Florida who is always ranked in the top 30 or 25, Kennesaw who is usually pretty strong, and Jacksonville has made it to the post season the last couple years in a row,” Thomas said.

Although Lench is a veteran on the team, he is always looking for ways to improve his
game in new ways.

 “People say practice makes perfect but for me it’s different, I do a lot of practice on the course, I can’t just sit there and hit balls all day.” Lench said, “I just want to play a lot more and use my time on the course as my practice and kind of shape my game around that like I did this summer.”

Lench had  a summer that he believes is his best yet with top finishes in several tournaments.

“I played in three tournaments this summer and I actually had one of the best summers I have had in a while.” Lench said, “I won two of those tournaments, and I also had a second place in the other tournament, I played 6 – 8 hours a day.”

Some of Thomas’ highlights from last season were from the post season, he hopes to repeat those moments this season.

“Going to Oregon and winning was a turning point for the team and where we were as a team — seeing the guys be able to do that and to see their poise through the whole tournament and never getting stressed out because they knew they could do it,”
Thomas said.

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