The Golf Academy of America Phoenix has formed its first Club Golf Team, and I’m proud to say that I’m on it! On Monday, the Academy held a team tryout with 40 players vying for a total of eight spots in a qualifying tournament at Moon Valley Country Club. The round featured a little bit of everything too – wind, rain, and pressure. Here are my teammates and what they shot (Par 72):
Rhys Wahleithner – 71
Chris Silva – 72
Mike Berger – 73
Chris Condeff – 74
Dan Robustelli – 74
Andrew Cave – 74
Thomas Bower – 75
Dan Bubany – 75
Alternates
Matt Longfield – 76
Michael Wood – 76
The shotgun tournament started for me on the 13th hole. I got off to a bit of a rough start. After I made pars on 13 and 14, I three-putted holes 15-17 before catching fire at the turn. I played the opening nine in two-under 34 thanks to a pair of birdies. It’s the best nine-hole stretch I’ve played in a tournament all semester.
Our first tournament is March 28th and 29th at Oakcreek Country Club in Sedona, Arizona. The Academy is gracious enough to pay for lodging, meals, and tournament fees – everything but getting there.
The Golf Academy joined the National Collegiate Club Golf Association (NCCGA) for the first time just last month. The NCCGA is a place for those who don’t or didn’t play varsity golf in college but desire to continue competing and is run by NextGenGolf. More than 300 teams can be found at colleges and universities nationwide, with 1,500 club players active in the program in 27 different regions.