Beginning Tuesday, a member of the University of South Alabama men's golf team will write each day about his and the team's experiences at the NCAA Southeast Regional this week. The Jaguars travelled to Alpharetta, Ga., Tuesday and will play a practice round Wednesday before competing in three rounds from Thursday-Saturday.
Marc-Etienne Bussieres, who came to USA from Gatineau, Quebec, Canad, wrapped up this week's diaries following the conclusion of the final round of his collegiate career.
Once again it was an early morning for the Jaguars. The alarm clock rang at 5:20 a.m. and it was time to get in the shower and begin this important day on a good foot. Once everyone had packed their luggage in the van, we headed on over to the golf course. The 20-minute ride was somewhat special as everyone knew that this final round could lead us closer to the national championship. Nonetheless, it is always important to stay in the present and focus on the shot in front of you.
Just as every other day, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the golf course. We loaded up on proteins and carbohydrates and off we went to the range and putting green to get ready for this day. The tension was at its maximum at the practice area as many teams, including us, felt that a solid performance would be required today in order to finish in the top five. The first one off was Blake Kelley, followed by Jack Hiluta, McLain Leberte, Chris Piumelli and finally me.
After splitting the fairway with my driver on the first hole, I proceeded to hit a 6 iron approximately 40 feet away from the hole. However, I completely misread my putt and hit it about 10 feet away from the hole. This bogey was my only one before the turn. The rest of my front nine was fairly boring as I hit most greens and most fairways, but only managed to make one birdie on number seven after I hit a wedge shot seven feet away from the hole.
As I walked towards the ninth green, I looked at the leaderboard and saw that the Jaguars were in fourth place. I deduced that my fellow teammates were also playing well, and that I needed to keep it up. A birdie on the 10th hole put me at 1-under par and filled me with even more confidence to finish this round successfully. However, I hit a bad seven iron into the greenside bunker on the 13th hole, which resulted in a bogey.
As I was walking up towards the 18th tee, coach came up to me and informed me that our team was four shots out of fifth place. I was suddenly disappointed to hear this news as everyone worked really hard this week. However, coach also told me that a birdie might give me a chance to get the individual spot to the National Championship. I proceeded to hit a great drive down the middle of the fairway, which left me with 189 yards to the pin. Without any fear but with a strong commitment, I hit a wonderful six iron right in line with the flag that ended up eight feet away from the hole. As it was likely the last hole of my collegiate career, there was no doubt in my mind that this putt was going in the hole. I executed my routine and hit the ball which gently felt in.
Unfortunately, our team will not be going to the National Championship this year, but all of us can certainly say that this regional tournament was a great experience. I will not be part of this team next year, but I am confident that the two freshmen, Blake Kelley and McLain Leberte, sophomore Chris Piumelli and new team leader Jack Hiluta will be able to compete in this tournament next year and use the experience they have learned to get to the National Championship. It was a pleasure for me to have them as my teammates, but also as my friends.
Throughout the year, all of them improved their golf skills and they will certainly become greater players next year. During the spring season, this team changed from repetitively having a bad first round, to being able to play well when the gun goes off. This was a tremendous learning step, but the next one they will need to take is to learn how to finish strong. As coach and Doc (Jerry Williams) preach, it is very important to play one hole at a time and one shot at a time since the first shot you hit is worth the same thing as the last one.
It is now time to jump in the van and begin our journey back home!
