As he loaded his golf clubs, Trip Hobson, marketing senior, smiled with confidence. His first win as a Mustang was in the books after a “tough personal season,” he said.
More than 12 hours of play over the course of Oct. 16-17, Hobson won the Midwestern State Invitational for individuals and helped drive the team win which will move the team up several spots in the district.
According to Hobson, the fall season has been busy with traveling to Colorado but the team has pushed through to earn their ranking as 15th in their district. Hobson now has 10 par-or-better scores in 33 rounds at MSU.
“I’ve not been able to pull anything out lately, but it was finally paid off today,” Hobson said. “With this win we will move up quite a few spots, and I will advance individually.”
Growing up near a nine-hole course, Hobson said he spent most of his childhood on the green as well as his teenage years. Because golf is primarily a mental game, Hobson said it’s unlike any other sport.
“The mental grind is as important as the physical,” he said. “Anybody can swing a club to hit the ball, but it takes somebody who really puts in enough mental focus to pull out a win in golf. It’s great to play it collegiately.”
Teammate Chance Craig, mechanical engineering junior, finished 15th out of 84 in the tournament, and said along with mental diligence, the team is a driving force for him.
“Many people say golf is an individual sport, but I would argue that it is really a matter of who your team is,” Craig said. “If you have a group of guys that you get along with really well, it makes the trips and tournaments that much better. You can enjoy more and you can play better.”
According to Craig, the Cameron tournament is going to be pretty challenging because depending on the course determines a level of difficulty. There is “someone will be more demanding” of the tee-box because there are more hazard like water or out of bounds area, but like his coach says, “play smart, play safe and conservative nonaggressive” because we will make the shots are other people won’t by playing smart.
“Hopefully next week we will stay focused and get another way to secure our spot in regionals and in the conference,” Craig said.
The women’s golf team finished its season Oct. 17, but the men will play in the Cameron tournament next week in Duncan, Oklahoma, Oct. 23-24.