M. GOLF: Wolfes Hopes Jones Cup Finish Sparks His Spring
2/7/2014 4:03:00 PM | Men's Golf
STATESBORO, Ga. – Scott Wolfes hopes to duplicate his finish at last week's Jones Cup often for Georgia Southern this spring.
The Jones Cup is one of the premier amateur golf tournaments in the world, and Wolfes posted a 2-under 70 on the last day, which tied for the lowest round all weekend at Ocean Forest Country Club in Sea Island, Ga. The round helped him move from a tie for 70th after the first two rounds into a tie for 26th, the biggest move up the leaderboard on the final day.
A junior from St. Simons, Wolfes had plenty of friends and family on hand to support him.
"I had 20-25 people out there, which is fun," Wolfes said. "I think I play better with a bigger crowd. I holed out on one of the par 4s so that was fun with everybody standing there watching."
It was his first tournament since posting a three-round, even-par total of 216 and tying for second at the Eagle/Osprey Invitational in early November, Georgia Southern's final tournament of the fall season. He struggled out of the gates at the Jones Cup, carding an 80 on day one and a 76 in the second round.
"I didn't play as well as I should have the first round – I think it was a little bit of rust – I haven't played in a tournament in a while and it's such a tough course," said Wolfes. "I was just staying patient all week, and my game came around by the third round. I hit it a lot better the last round than I did the first and second round. It was a good confidence booster."
In addition to the layoff, Wolfes tweaked some things with his swing as many college golfers do during the break between the end of the fall season and the start of the spring campaign. Having put the changes to the test in the heat of tournament competition should give him an advantage when the Eagles open the spring at the Gator Invitational Feb. 15-16, in Gainesville, Fla.
"I went through some swing changes with my teacher over the break so putting them in competition, it was good to see that it came around and progressed, and I felt comfortable," said Wolfes. "You hit one into the hazards out there and it's so tight, it seems like the hazards creep closer and closer. I was happy with my performance after getting off to such a rough start and making my way back up the leaderboard."
The Jones Cup featured 90 of the top amateurs from around the world, and a look at the final results reveals a bevy of names Wolfes and the Eagles are likely to see on the course this spring.
"It just shows me that I can play with those guys even if I don't have my best stuff week in and week out," said Wolfes.
The reigning Southern Conference Golfer of the Year, Wolfes had a so-so fall by his standards with two top-10 outings in five tournaments and hopes his experience at the Jones Cup will help him get off to a better start in the spring than he did in the fall.
"It was a good warm-up," he said. "I'm pretty confident, just staying patient and trying to recreate the things I did so well last year. I started doing that at the end of the fall, started getting back into it and started playing a little better."
The Jones Cup is one of the premier amateur golf tournaments in the world, and Wolfes posted a 2-under 70 on the last day, which tied for the lowest round all weekend at Ocean Forest Country Club in Sea Island, Ga. The round helped him move from a tie for 70th after the first two rounds into a tie for 26th, the biggest move up the leaderboard on the final day.
A junior from St. Simons, Wolfes had plenty of friends and family on hand to support him.
"I had 20-25 people out there, which is fun," Wolfes said. "I think I play better with a bigger crowd. I holed out on one of the par 4s so that was fun with everybody standing there watching."
It was his first tournament since posting a three-round, even-par total of 216 and tying for second at the Eagle/Osprey Invitational in early November, Georgia Southern's final tournament of the fall season. He struggled out of the gates at the Jones Cup, carding an 80 on day one and a 76 in the second round.
"I didn't play as well as I should have the first round – I think it was a little bit of rust – I haven't played in a tournament in a while and it's such a tough course," said Wolfes. "I was just staying patient all week, and my game came around by the third round. I hit it a lot better the last round than I did the first and second round. It was a good confidence booster."
In addition to the layoff, Wolfes tweaked some things with his swing as many college golfers do during the break between the end of the fall season and the start of the spring campaign. Having put the changes to the test in the heat of tournament competition should give him an advantage when the Eagles open the spring at the Gator Invitational Feb. 15-16, in Gainesville, Fla.
"I went through some swing changes with my teacher over the break so putting them in competition, it was good to see that it came around and progressed, and I felt comfortable," said Wolfes. "You hit one into the hazards out there and it's so tight, it seems like the hazards creep closer and closer. I was happy with my performance after getting off to such a rough start and making my way back up the leaderboard."
The Jones Cup featured 90 of the top amateurs from around the world, and a look at the final results reveals a bevy of names Wolfes and the Eagles are likely to see on the course this spring.
"It just shows me that I can play with those guys even if I don't have my best stuff week in and week out," said Wolfes.
The reigning Southern Conference Golfer of the Year, Wolfes had a so-so fall by his standards with two top-10 outings in five tournaments and hopes his experience at the Jones Cup will help him get off to a better start in the spring than he did in the fall.
"It was a good warm-up," he said. "I'm pretty confident, just staying patient and trying to recreate the things I did so well last year. I started doing that at the end of the fall, started getting back into it and started playing a little better."
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