Pirate Golf Spring Outlook
February 14, 2005 | Men's Golf
Heading into the fall season, the Pirates were looking for their most experienced returnee to lead a young team and he delivered. Senior Adam Howell's victory in the 2004 Pirate Fall Intercollegiate made it the fifth straight year that a Pirate golfer captured an individual title. Howell's six-under par total of 210 at Bradford Creek was good for a two stroke victory. The fall season was the most consistent Howell has played since he has been at ECU.
"Adam made a couple of swing changes this summer to make himself a more consistent golfer and it paid off in a big way for the team and for Adam as he qualified for this past summer's U.S. Amateur," said Head Coach Kevin Williams.
Howell finished the fall with a 73.2 stroke average and three top-10 finishes. His ball striking was the difference as he finished 47th in the country in fairways hit per round (.794) and 18th in greens in regulation per round (.745). Howell moved to sixth on the career stroke average list at 74.96 and twice shot 66 which tied the low 18 hole score in school history.
The Pirates competed in six events during the fall season. Howell and junior Philip Reale were the only two staples in Williams' line-up, which featured six different lineups.
"This does not concern me too much," says Williams. "We needed some young guys (four freshmen) to get some experience, plus we had four other returnees with very little experience.
"Philip (Reale) is natural leader and came back to school with a lot of confidence. I was very pleased with Philip's fall season and know he will be even better this spring. The experience he gained this fall was invaluable."
Reale finished with the fourth lowest stroke average at 74.8 and had two top10 finishes. Freshman Ryan Solan finished the fall with third most tournaments played (five) and the third lowest stroke average at 74.6.
"Ryan struggled as most freshmen do with adjusting but showed this fall that he is the real deal," says Williams. "He finished the fall on a good note and I expect Ryan to make a big impact this spring. Consistency is his biggest asset and something we sorely need."
Solan had three top-20 finishes and two top-10 finishes. Junior Robin Smith was second on the team in stroke average with 74.5 but only competed in three events.
"Robin's consistency is his biggest hurdle and he reminds me of Adam Howell at this stage in his career," Williams noted. "I feel like Robin is real close to breaking through but he has to get out of his own way." Smith finished tied for second in the 2004 Pirate Fall Intercollegiate with a 212 total. A first round six-under par 66 spurred Smith to his only top ten finish of the fall.
Sophomore transfer Ryan Neal, returning letter winner Brandon Pace and three freshmen, David Smith, Chris Ault and Martin Nicholls all started at least one tournament during the fall with Nicholls starting the most (four).
"We really need to see some of these guys in this group, including Smith, step up and separate themselves from the others," says Williams. "Consistency was a big problem for us this fall and a lot of that had to do with the lineup changing so much.
"It would be good for us if we could have two or three of these guys join Howell, Solan and Reale as a core group of starters, so we can settle into a rotation that will lend itself to more consistency. I feel like we are really close to being a very good team and I believe our finish to the fall has given our guys a boost of confidence in knowing that we can be pretty good."
Ryan Neal, a transfer from NAIA Wayland Baptist, is one of the leading candidates to fill this role. Neal, who was ranked the fourth best freshman in NAIA during the 2002-03 season, sat out last year but used that year of practice to his advantage and qualified for the United States Amateur this summer.
"Ryan (Neal) has got a chance to be a very consistent golfer because he hits a lot of fairways. He has to work on the mental side of the game a little more so he can control his emotions better."
Freshmen Chris Ault, David Smith and Martin Nicholls all started and showed signs of promise, according to Williams.
"David, Chris and Martin all show they are very capable of playing at this level and I'm hopeful that since they've gotten their feet wet, maybe they will settle down and play at the level I know they are capable. All three shot a round under 70 during the fall and that is very good for a freshman."
Senior Brandon Pace started twice and his best finish of the fall was a tie for 30th at the Pirate Fall Intercollegiate. This spring the Pirates make a return trip to the Rio Pinar Collegiate hosted by future C-USA member, University of Central Florida. A month later the Pirates return to action at the Cleveland Collegiate Championship hosted by the University of South Carolina-Aiken. This event is played at the famed Palmetto Golf Club in Aiken, South Carolina.
East Carolina rounds out the month of March hosting two consecutive tournament. The first will be the 10th Annual Bradford Creek Intercollegiate at the Bradford Creek Golf Club in Greenville, N.C.
Less than two weeks later, the Pirates will co-host the 12-team Pinehurst Invitational at the the Pinehurst Golf Club on the No. 8 golf course, which was staple of college golf in the 1970's.
Another new event on the Pirates' schedule come during the first part of April at the Forest Oaks Invitational, hosted by the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Forest Oaks is the site of the PGA Tour's annual Greater Greensboro Classic. This year's Conference USA Championship will be played at Grand Bear Golf Club in Gulfport, Miss. Grand Bear is a Jack Nicklaus designed golf course that played host to the Shell's Wonderful World of Golf made for television match in 2002 between Paul Azinger and Jesper Parnevik.
"We have a wonderful spring schedule and I am hopeful that the momentum we gained at the end of the fall will carry over to this spring," says Williams. "We really shot some good, low numbers this fall but we just lacked the consistency needed which has a lot to do with our inexperience. We need the enthusiasm that comes with youth to mesh with the mental toughness needed to be successful and I'm confident this can happen in the spring."
