September 18, 2014

The Missouri men’s golf team got off to a hot start early this season when it brought home its first trophy in its first tournament at the Turning Stone Intercollegiate in Verona, New York, on Sept. 1. Now, the team is preparing for a bigger tournament, and the rest of the season.

Leading the team is senior captain Ryan Zech, who won the Turning Stone Intercollegiate outright with a 3-under par, 213 to help his team to a 6-under par overall victory.

Zech said while he wasn’t too impressed with how he played, he was still thankful for his first outright win since his freshman year.

“It’s always nice to win,” Zech said. “At the same time, I really didn’t play well. We’re just trying to get everything together before we get back at it, because if I want to keep winning, I’m going to have to play a whole lot better.”

Coach Mark Leroux, who is in his 11th season coaching the Tigers, echoed Zech’s thoughts, but was proud of his senior golfer.

“Ryan didn’t have his best stuff by far,” Leroux said. “He really struggled with his ball. For him to be able to manage his ball well enough to win was very impressive. It was more like his C-game. But it was a wonderful growing experience for Ryan as a player. That’s really what it’s about to play professionally. You have to be able to make a cut even when you’re not playing your best.”

This year, Mizzou is looking to make a splash and Zech thinks the Tigers can.

“We’re very deep,” he said. “There are a lot of guys competing for just a few spots. I would say the SEC is a very difficult conference, but I think as deep as we are, it will provide some good competition and that we’ll really be able to push each other throughout the year.”

Wilson Sundvold and Euan Walker have also stepped up for Mizzou; both shot 1-under par in their opening tournament. Last season, Walker was able to nab Southeastern Conference All-Freshman honors.

“Euan Walker is a great player,” Leroux said. “He’ll be a main stay in our lineup the next few years.”

Leroux also said Sundvold, the team’s lone junior, continues to get better.

“Wilson Sundvold had a breakout year last year, and continues to dominate and be a top two or three guy on this tee when we qualify,” he said. “Beyond that, we really have got a bunch of other guys, six or seven guys that can compete.”

Both Zech and Leroux have experienced Big 12 and SEC golf, and both agree that the difference is that the SEC is tougher and deeper.

“People say that the SEC is the premier athletic conference in the country,” Leroux said. “We were already in one of the premier conferences. Now, we are in the premier conference. I feel that in the Big 12, we were one of the top 60-70 schools athletically in the country. Now, we feel that we’re one of the top 14 in the country.”

Zech first had a club put in his hand when he was two years old. It may have been plastic, but his love from the game grew from there. Now he has all PING clubs and plays a Titleist Pro V1X ball. He said he’s on the brink of turning pro after this season, and that it’s just a matter of taking advantage of present opportunities.

During long tournaments, Zech tries to keep himself in check mentally by letting his personality come out on the course.

“I’m the guy that likes to go out and have fun and have a smile on my face the whole time,” Zech said. “If I can take that to the golf course and enjoy myself while I’m out there, then that really makes the 36-hole days go by a lot quicker.”

The team is now preparing for the Dick’s Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup in Kingston Springs, Tennessee. Leroux said that practice plays a big part of the tournament.

“We’re trying to hone in on our short game a little bit more,” Leroux said. “When we get there, our tournament procedure is what we pride ourselves in. Taking extra time on the putting greens, and figuring out what clubs to hit on what spots on the course. That’s how we prepare for the best results.”

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