News

Though there are no conference or regional titles on the line in fall competition, the nine-player team of the Montcalm Community College Centurions men’s golf team is playing with a championship mindset. 

“Competitive golf is competitive golf,” Centurions head coach Doug Harkema said. “The more you play, the more comfortable you are and the better off you are. We are trying to evaluate what we can work on between now and spring, when we begin playing for a conference and regional championship and try to get to nationals.” 

The Centurions have completed three of the seven meets scheduled for this fall, recently competing at the Delta College Invitational, Friday, Sept. 25.  

During the Lawrence Tech University Collegiate Kickoff invitational, held at Boyne Falls, Sept. 8-9, MCC finished seventh out of nine teams. The Centurions were led by sophomore Chase Couchman(Holly, Mich.), who finished 17th overall with a plus-17 score. Lawrence Tech’s Jasper Komkommer took first place overall with a plus-6, helping LTU win the tournament by two strokes over William Penn.  

At the Grand Rapids Community College 36 Invitational, held in Grand Rapids, Sept. 21, the Centurions finished in eighth place out of 11 teams with a plus-61 overall score. Freshman Dominic DeMello (Holt, Mich.) finished tied for 14th place with a plus-12 score, followed by Couchman, who was 13th with a score of plus-15. 

Ferris State took the meet with a plus-24 score, overwhelmingly beating second-place teams GRCC and Davenport (B team), which tied at plus-44. Taking the individual leaderboard was FSU’s Colin Riehl with a plus-1 score, beating Davenport (B) player Pedro N. Russi Santa, who finished with a plus-2. 

Harkema said his team was still finding itself at the Delta Invitational on Sept. 25, where MCC tied with Muskegon for fourth place with a team score of plus-36. 

Oakland Community College won the meet with an overall score of plus-29, beating out host Delta by two strokes. OCC’s Justin Rebandt topped the individual leaderboard with a plus-1 score, which was one stroke better than teammate Evan Michalski and Muskegon Community College’s Levi Anderson. 

Leading the team for MCC was sophomore Spencer Denney (Battle Creek, Mich.), who finished tied for ninth with a score of +6. DeMello finished tied for 14th place with a plus-8 score. 

This year, MCC’s team has four returning golfers — sophomores Couchman, Landon Elder (Louisville, Ky.), Ethan Wempen (Hartsburg, Mo.) and Denney — while Harkema recruited five freshmen, including DeMello, Jackson Howe (Brandon, Vt.), Parker Saunders (Marquette, Mich.), Javille Boyd (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Brayton Butler (Muleshoe, Texas). 

Harkema was happy to see his sophomores come back to the team this year, stating that all of them have put a lot of work into their games.  

“They’re rock solid,” he said. “They are a good foundation to build from.” 

DeMello and Howe have been the early surprises for Harkema so far from the new class. 

“Dom has been surprisingly good, consistently scoring in the mid-70s right now. That’s huge for him,” Harkema said. 

This is the largest number of golfers Harkema has had on his team since he began coaching MCC. He said the golfers have been meshing well and have reacted well to competing with so many teammates.  

For Harkema, the fall season provides a chance to evaluate his golfers and find out which each one needs to do to be ready for spring competition. 

“This is a big part of the process for all collegiate teams,” Harkema said of the fall competition. “We get new players every year and you have to get to know them and their game and how to get them better. We are just getting them comfortable for tournament play.” 

Freshman players see more rounds of golf than when they played in high school, Harkema explained. Not only does he have to prepare them for the longevity of collegiate meets, but he is also working with them to keep their focus, which is simply the next shot. 

“The biggest thing is not to get too high when playing good and not to get too low when hitting a bad shot. Being able to be there for them and telling them to just control the next shot and that’s it. That’swhat we as coaches have to do,” Harkema said. “Golf is a totally different sport than team sport. In a team sport, you’re thinking about three or four things in the future and that’s not a good way to approach golf. In golf, you react shot by shot.” 

So far, his players have been listening, as MCC, as a team, has been shooting under or around 310 for the majority of rounds, which Harkema said will to make the Centurions highly competitive.  

“At the end of season, I want us to be in a spot where we know what we’re chasing and how to do it,” he said. “I want to be able to have a plan for each kid to improve so they have a chance to all do great things come spring season. We play, evaluate and then plan for what winter practice looks like.” 

UP NEXT: The Centurions will head to Port Huron Golf Club Monday, Oct. 5, to compete in the St. Clair County Community College Invitational. Tee time is 10 a.m.