The UCSD men’s golf team is getting ready to kick off its spring season, and it has a lot of hope for this year. The team finished fifth last year in the eight-team California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament and is looking to improve on that finish this year.
“”We expect to have a lot of success,”” said Triton head coach Mike Wydra, who is entering his 20th season as UCSD’s coach.
The team already played in three tournaments this fall, including a seventh-place finish at the 13-team Division II National Preview in Sunriver, Ore. The Tritons’ best showing of the fall was at the Elco Invitational in Bakersfield, Calif., where UCSD junior Jan Godoski shot a 67 and finished tied for third in the tournament, just two shots off the leader.
The team is led by senior captain Blake Schneider. Wydra also expects key contributions from Godoski, junior Alan Scheer, freshmen Robbie Kramer and Ryo Yamada.
“”Ryo has played very well,”” Wydra said.
Scheer finished 21st at Bakersfield and sixth at the Division II National Preview. He also had the team’s best finish in its last fall tournament, the Prestige at PGA West in November in La Quinta, Calif. Kramer finished tied for 17th at the National Preview and second among UCSD golfers in all three tournaments. Yamada finished no lower than fourth among Triton players in all of the fall tournaments, including a 28th place finish overall at the tournament in Bakersfield.
Wydra points out that making the UCSD golf team was extremely difficult this year. The players had to qualify in a four-round tournament in the fall to make the team.
“”Some good players didn’t make it,”” Wydra said.
The final roster includes 11 players and four redshirt freshmen. The team is loaded with talent and excited about making a strong run in the CCAA.
For the most part, the Tritons will not travel extensively this season, staying mainly in Southern California. They have tournaments in Bakersfield and Davis, Calif., in the coming weeks and a tournament in Del Mar on March 10 and March 11.
The first tournament of the new season will take place Feb. 24 and Feb. 25 at the Family Motors Invitational at Seven Oaks Country Club in Bakersfield.
The CCAA Conference Tournament is April 21 and April 22 in Patterson, Calif. A good showing there is important, but it will be extremely difficult as CSU Bakersfield and UC Davis, both in the same conference as UCSD, appeared in the national championship last spring.
That said, with the veteran leadership of Wydra and the young talent on the roster (Schneider is the only senior), the Tritons hope to play well in the conference and completes their season in Sunriver at the Division II National Championships in May.
