Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Swinging to success

Few college students will say their degree is a backup plan for a professional sports dream, but that is not the case for senior Darin Kowalski.A self-proclaimed “golf junkie,” Kowalski is taking the newly reinstated Point Park University golf program by storm, winning the Westminster Spring Invitational and the Edward Jones Shootout as well as tying for second at the Thiel Invitational last Saturday.  With that kind of winning action, it is unsurprising that Kowalski hopes to turn golf into a profession.
“He is definitely helping with recruiting,” head golf coach Gabe Bubon said. “Any time I talk to a kid and he goes and checks our website, they see Darin in a picture holding a trophy, and that’s going to help out.”Kowalski was introduced to golf at the age of five by his father, who often golfed with him.
“Growing up, I played almost every sport, but golf was the only thing I could do every day and not get sick of it,” Kowalski said.From then on, Kowalski took the sport that started as a hobby and began playing competitively. He started all four years of high school and was voted Most Valuable Player his senior year by the time of his graduation from Serra Catholic High School in 2004.Kowalski went on to play golf for Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) – South, where he won the Region 20 championship and then played in the 2008 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national tournament. His regional championship earned him an honorable-mention All-American standing at the junior college level.After finishing his two-year degree at CCAC, Kowalski attended California University of Pennsylvania for a semester, but since he missed the city and was not playing golf, Kowalski chose to attend Point Park for an athletic scholarship. As one of Point Park’s best athletes, Kowalski is probably not a name most students are familiar with. That is because Kowalski only transferred last fall for his final year in college. “I only had one semester of eligibility,” Kowalski said. “The spring season is the bigger season of the two, so I only went part-time in the fall so I wouldn’t lose my eligibility.”
Even with a long list of wins under his belt, Kowalski delivers a new level of experience and humility on and off the golf course.”Darin brings a maturity in the way he approaches the game,” Bubon said. “We have a lot of young guys on our team, and Darin has a different view of the game – the way he practices, just the way he is always calm. Some of our younger kids, if something goes wrong, they get a little shook up, whereas Darin is pretty cool, but that comes with the maturity and experience.”Even with such high praise, Kowalski remains modest when talking about his accomplishments.”You never play perfect,” Kowalski said. “It’s not a game that you can play perfectly. It’s about controlling your bad shots, controlling your misses and very rarely can you have it all there, so you want to stay as sharp as you can.”Nevertheless, Kowalski has proven to be a valuable asset to the team, not only with his tournament wins, but also during practices. “He helps me out a lot,” Austin Elders, a freshman business major, said. “He knows a lot about the swing and the game. He’s a great competitor.”Elders admits that one of the greatest lessons he learned from Kowalski has been about overcoming golf’s mental challenges.”During one tournament, Darin was winning after the first day. Then the second day, he came out and in the first nine he did horrible,” Elders said. “He shot [about] 43, but then he shot 33 in the second nine. He came in under par…just coming back like that teaches me a lot.”While Kowalski has become the poster boy of the golf team, he also sees great potential for his younger teammates. “I try to lead as an example and help the guys out, especially Austin,” Kowalski said. “He has a lot of potential. I’ve played competitively for a while and have some experience in some pretty big tournaments, and I’m expecting Austin to do the same in the next few years.” Bubon has also observed how Kowalski has impacted the team. “A lot of our younger guys have followed in his footsteps,” Bubon said. “They follow his techniques and the equipment he uses for practice. He will show up at practice with different tools each day and our younger guys like it; they are always asking, ‘What’s this do? What’s that do?’ It’s good to help build the team.”While Kowalski’s reign as Point Park’s No. 1 golf player will be short, he hopes that his time on the team has done his fellow players and the university some good.
“I hope the golf program builds up to be on the same level as the baseball team and other Point Park sports,” Kowalski said. “The school is pretty much known for dance and theater, so it would be nice to be known for sports as well.” Kowalski’s wins have already helped draw more attention to the golf program, evidenced by the fact that Bubon expects to recruit six to eight new students next year.
While Kowalski will graduate this spring, he is unsure of his post-graduation plans, but knows that golf will always be part of the equation. “I would like, one day, to play professionally – that’s the dream,” Kowalski said. “But the good thing about golf is it’s not something you need to come right out of college, whereas basketball or baseball you get drafted. Golf is a lifelong commitment. You can turn pro at any time.” Kowalski showed he was on his way to that dream when, last July, he qualified for the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s 93rd Open Championship, at which he took medalist honors. This earned him a spot in the Open Championship in August, where he competed as an amateur. Even though Kowalski has made great accomplishments in golf, he still believes he has work to do.”I don’t feel like I’m quite there yet,” Kowalski said. “My game is not ready. I’m working on it, and when I feel like I’m ready I’m hoping to turn pro. Right now, I’m just trying to get as good as I can.”

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