Freshman Milo Thim took home first place at the UC Invitational last week in Charleston, West Virginia, shooting five under par through three rounds of the tournament.
The tournament began Monday, Sept. 8, where Thim shot three under-par in both the first and second rounds. This put him on top of the leaderboard with an overall score of six under par.
Thim shot one over par during round three on Tuesday, Sept. 9. This lower score wouldn’t matter, as he held onto the lead and secured a first place finish for the first time in his collegiate career.
“It was all kinds of different emotions in the end,” Thim said. “It ended up with me winning, which was a huge relief because of my low energy from being sick. I was very happy and satisfied with myself that I managed to keep it cool and bring it home.”
Despite his lower score in the third round and coming off of a small illness, Thim was able to keep himself focused as the tournament wrapped up.
“I didn’t really have any expectations, which made me just go out and play,” Thim said. “My main focus and the thing that helped me have a positive mindset throughout the round was that I played against the course, not the players. If I did my absolute best against the course I was satisfied, even if that would’ve meant that I hadn’t because I can’t affect what other players shoot that day.”
Thim’s win comes just a week after he placed third in the Wheeling Fall Invitational to open up the season. Head coach Max Kaminsky has already been very pleased with what he has seen from the freshman.
“Milo has been exceptional these past two events,” Kaminsky said. “He got here from Sweden a week before classes and has already racked up accolades in events. I have been around high-level golf for a long time and he is easily one of the best players I’ve seen. More importantly he’s a genuine guy and a team player. I’m excited for his future.”
When reflecting on his performance, Milo Thim said that he believed his putting was the strongest part of his game.
“The greens were not good at all so you needed to have some luck with putts dropping,” Thim said. “But for me I had confidence on these greens because they were slow. I could be more aggressive and focus on a good stroke and the putts would go in.”
The men’s team finished 12th out of 20 teams, shooting +52 overall.
Anthony Maltony finished 36th shooting +12. Josh Topper finished +17, Tharcisse Kalina +28 and Kaiden Kohler +39.
Despite finishing around the middle of the standings and having a team that is mostly comprised of freshman, Coach Kaminsky has been happy with how his team has been able to buy into the golf program and perform well in the early stages of the season.
“A lot of people forget that when I became the head coach, we didn’t have a full team,” Kaminsky said. “All of the team has shown me great potential, especially Josh Topper. His mindset is the same as a veteran player, and he is only a freshman. Our third round in Charleston, we beat teams that were ranked in the nation last year. I would say that is a great step forward from not having a team 12 months ago. I’m so excited for this group going forward.”
For the women’s team, Gabi Wait and Marissa Moriconi competed as individuals. Wait finished 72nd at +40, and Moriconi finished 74th at +41.
After competing in separate tournaments on Sept.15-16, the men’s and women’s teams will be on the road together again from Sept. 22-23 at the Cedarbrook Invitational in Belle Vernon, Pa.
