2018 Golf Fall Season Preview

The Nicholls State University men’s golf team prepare for the 2018 golf season with the addition of two new freshman players.

Head coach James Schilling said they recognize the hard work that lies ahead after welcoming two freshmen players to the team.

“We have two new guys this year on the team, Loic Maigret, from Belgium, and Warut Wongrungroj, from Thailand, so we only have 7 players on the roster this year, but [we’re] definitely looking for them to get some playing time,” Schilling said.

Schilling’s focus for the season is to maximize the amount of practice the team acquires.

“We are having such a young team, [so] we’re just trying to get everybody, especially the freshmen and sophomores, as much possible practice time as we can.”

Schilling said being in the middle of a rainy season can impact their training schedule.

“We are practicing as much as we can with the weather right now,” Schilling said. “It’s been difficult, kind of for everybody, and all the outdoor teams. But, we have been able to get some [golf] rounds in, and we practice as much as we can. If the courses have been closed, we have been practicing here on campus, just doing whatever we have to do with such a young team.”

Despite the rainy weather, senior golfer Baker Stevenson said he is motivated for the upcoming season.

“We have a good schedule, probably the best since I’ve been here,” Stevenson said. “We lost two good players, but we picked up two good players as well, so I think overall we are going to have a good team this year. I have only known them for a couple of weeks, but it seems like they are really good at golf. I mean, they have good swings, good fundamentals and as far as their personalities, they are pretty fun guys to be around.”

According to Schilling, the team’s goal is to get the freshmen comfortable in the college game and the others back in their routines, but this goal may be difficult to maintain later in the season.

“It is going to be different when we get in the tournaments, too, but we just do the best that we can this time of the year,” Schilling said. “We need our sophomores to step up, and the freshmen need to get some tournament rounds under them, so they can get comfortable with what it’s like to play 72 holes in three days, 36 holes in one day. We are not really used to that.”

The men’s golf team starts the season with a two-day tournament, called the Battle in the Big Easy, on Sept. 10 and Sept. 11. The tournament begins at 8 a.m. both days and takes place at the English Turn Golf and Country Club in New Orleans.