Cobra golf sustains confidence

As the fall season wraps up, the Parkland College golf team heads into the spring season on a positive note. The Cobras may not have ended the last tournament of the fall season the way they had planned, but it was a successful season nonetheless.

The team traveled to Chicago on Monday to play in the Chicago State Invite, where they would end up finishing eighth of eleven teams.

Lead by sophomore Brady Welsh, who shot a 75, the Cobras totaled a two round score of 310, which was good enough for eighth of 11 teams. Sophomore Dan Patkunas would fire a 77, while freshmen Austin Egbers would add to the total with a 78.

Not the finish that this Cobra team wanted, but altogether they posted a very good fall season. The team had finishes of first, two third-place finishes and a tie for second, to go along with an individual champion as well.

Overall, the fall season proved that this team can do something come spring. The finishes showed that this year’s Cobra golf team is out to do one thing, which is to win a National Championship.

“I believe we will have a surprising spring season and come out and surprise everyone. We believe we are the best team and in the spring we will show it,” sophomore Nate Overman answered.

Head Coach Zach McNabney replied, “I am looking forward to seeing the team take what they have achieved this fall and build on it in the spring. We had some success but our Region and Conference has some difficult teams and we need to play to the best of our ability each and every time.”

Sophomore Clint Luckett responded, “For the spring season, I am really excited because our team is so deep and everyone is coming back, so it is really encouraging. Last year we did not have a very good fall and we lost one of our best players, so we felt that we were going into the spring with a team not as good. Everyone was pretty discouraged because of that, but this year we have a lot more momentum so I think we can really contend at Nationals because of that.”

Finally, Patkunas responded, “I think we’re going to pull together and really grind down when the spring season comes and I feel during that time, we are going to show everyone how we play. I think it will be a tight race for Nationals and I think we can really compete once Nationals rolls around.”

Momentum is one factor that this team has. Especially going into the spring season, where the tournaments mean a lot, having a lot of momentum with more to gain is phenomenal.

“The main goal for the spring is to get better. Obviously our goals are to win Conference, win Regionals and win Nationals, but that is a tall order. As long as our players play to their abilities they will make my job easier coaching and we will have success. That means building on what we have already accomplished,” McNabney stated.

Overman replied, “I hope I can step my game up enough to get into the top five and throw some scores in tournaments to help out. But as long as I am playing my teammates in qualifiers, I’m not only making myself better, but they are improving as well, so I just hope to contribute to the team in some way.”

Luckett added, “As a team, the main goal is what we basically set at our first team meeting and that was to not only go to Nationals, but be one of the best teams there. Personally, our team is so deep, five guys go to tournaments and we have thirteen people on our team, so I really want to give myself a chance to play in every tournament that I can, so overall I’m really trying to play my best.”

“Personally, I think I can place in the top five hopefully and if we don’t make it out as a team at Nationals, I think I can make it out individually, so I’m shooting for the stars,” Patkunas said.

Getting to Nationals is one thing, but getting there individually may be even harder as there are many golfers competing for a few spots.