photo courtesy of Point Park Athletics
Freshman Max Kaminsky sets up an approach shot at the California University of Pennsylvania Vulcan Invitational.
At the end of the first day of competition at the California University of Pennsylvania’s Vulcan Invitational, the Point Park men’s golf team was in dead last out of 13 teams.
It was the first tournament of the spring, and the team could have easily packed it in. The Pioneers had one final round ahead of them, and the team could have simply played half-heartedly and accepted the disappointing defeat.
However, paced by freshman Max Kaminsky’s final round score of 75, the Pioneers went on to better their first day score by 19 points and finish in a respectable seventh place.
“For me as a coach, I didn’t have any expectations because we weren’t out there that much [before the tournament],” said head coach Gabe Bubon in a telephone interview. “But I didn’t realize it would be as bad as it was. That was the worst score we posted in four years. So that night we let them know we needed to see improvement and the guys responded in a positive way.”
Cal U hosted the tournament at the Cedarbrook Golf Course. The tournament took place on April 3 and 4.
There were 11 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II teams at the event, which was nothing new for the Pioneers. The team has made it to the Division II national tournament the previous two years.
“The amount of kids in the tournament was no different than what we’ve seen,” senior Collin Holmes said in a telephone interview. “The level of competition at nationals is much better than the competition we saw at Cal U. We just weren’t clicking this weekend.”
Along with the Division II competition, the Pioneers were faced with poor course conditions. The course’s greens were aerated just days before the tournament. The process of aeration involves a machine running over the green, punching holes in the surface. This is done in order to allow oxygen to reach the roots. The problem with aeration is that it produces small mounds of dirt on the green, which can disrupt pitching and putting.
“The hardest part about getting started from a long offseason is the short game,” senior Eric Poplowski said in a telephone interview. “You really have to dedicate time to get the touch back. When you chip or pitch around an aerated green the ball takes bad bounces. The aerated greens make it really hard to build confidence.”
The aeration process is typically done twice a year, and due to its impact on play, it is rare for courses to host a tournament when the greens are freshly aerated.
“Not going to lie I was shocked they had a tournament with aerated greens,” Kaminsky said in a telephone interview. “It’s the first tournament I’ve ever played with aerated greens. I don’t like to make excuses, but putting was difficult. Everyone had to play through it though, so it is what it is.”
For Kaminsky, his first round of the spring was the worst he can remember. He shot an 86, which was 14 over par.
“I give a lot of credit to the coaches,” Kaminsky said. “Coach Bubon pumped us up. We knew we shouldn’t have been in last place. Personally, I came out with something to prove the second day. I knew I needed to come out with a strong round.”
The scores for the rest of the team were not much better. Overall, the Pioneers posted a team score of 335, which left the team at the bottom of the leaderboard. At the time, Cal U was in first place with a team score of 305.
“I did not feel we were the worst team in that field,” Bubon said. “We let the guys know we needed improvement, and they came through. On Saturday, it was very cold and windy. It even snowed a little before we teed off, but the guys responded to our challenge.”
The Pioneers rarely enter the final day of a tournament in last place, but the leaders on the team made it simple. They focused on taking it one shot at a time.
“We have a pretty veteran team,” Poplowski said. “We know what to do to get the job done. I stress preparation. The more prepared the better you’ll be. In golf it’s easy to get behind the eight ball, but we play for one another.”
Poplowski certainly led by example. He tied for 18th place in individual scoring with a two-day total of 159. This was the best score for the Pioneers. The best score of the final round went to Kaminsky with a score of 75, which was 11 strokes better than his first day total. He totaled 161 in the two days of play.
Overall, the team battled its way back up the leaderboards and posted a final round score of 316. That score was 19 strokes better than the previous day. This round proved crucial for the team. It propelled the Pioneers from last place to seventh.
Cal U went on to win the event with a two-day total of 626. The Pioneers finished with 651 strokes.
“This is a good example of the kind of talent we have on this team,” Poplowski said. “We have a goal of making nationals for the third year in a row. This was good to see and it’s given us confidence in the upcoming week.”
The Pioneer’s next competition is this weekend, April 11-12, at the Edward Jones Shootout by Carnegie Mellon University at The Links at Spring Church.
