The two-day Claud Jacobs Invitational, hosted by the University of Houston-Victoria, kicks off an anticipated season for both the Buccaneer men and women, who open the spring ranked 14th nationally in their respective NJCAA polls.
On the men’s side, sophomore Cameron Gray leads a talented group that placed in the top eight at each of their four fall tournaments. Their best finish came at the Tyler Junior College Fall Invitational on Sept. 26 at the Pine Springs Golf Club in Tyler, Texas. The Bucs placed first while Gray tied for first as an individual.
Blinn has since added three transfers in sophomore Hunter McDonough (Texas A&M International) and freshmen Tyler Dawnson (Friends University) and Sam Sewell (The Master’s University). Blinn’s strong showing in the fall as well as the arrival of the transfers has Gray excited for what’s ahead.
“With three new guys we have coming in and the way everybody’s been working hard, we’re really looking forward to the season,” Gray said. “We definitely have some developed skill sets, and each player brings different aspects to the course with their own strengths and weaknesses. We’re set up in a way that everybody can help each other sort of bring those weaknesses forward and strengthen each other.”
Blinn men’s and women’s head coach David Johnson said the fall served as a coming out party for the Buccaneer men.
“We’ve added some new guys to the mix that we believe can help us and add to the competitiveness during practice, and the more we can compete during practice the better we’ll be when we go to our tournaments,” Johnson said. “I want them to do the best they can every shot and every hole; shot-by-hot, hole-by-hole, tournament-by-tournament. That’s the way they need to look at things. I tell them ‘Focus your energy on what’s ahead of you and not what’s behind you,’ because golf is a frustrating game; you never master it, you never seem to tame it, and just when you think things are going good, they don’t go so good. I think our guys have adjusted well mentally to handle those ups and downs and I think we have the physical talent to get the job done.”
The Buccaneers reached the national tournament in May 2021 and tied for 19th. One year later, Gray said he and his team are aiming for higher ground.
“Right off the bat, we’ve got four tournaments coming up and to win at least two of them would be exceptional,” Gray said. “From there, qualifying for nationals outright and then finishing top 10 – or even better – at nationals is our goal.”
The Buccaneer women will open their spring with a focus on building on a strong end to the fall while also qualifying for a return trip to the national tournament. Blinn placed 13th at nationals last May.
“The future is bright for them, and I think they realized they can score well,” Johnson said. “That last tournament in the fall should be a big leadup to this spring and that positive momentum will continue with good play. I like what I’ve seen so far this spring; they’re practicing well and doing the things we ask of them. They’re looking forward to a great spring season, and coach (Katie) Johnson and I are fired up, too.”
Blinn ended October with its lowest team score and placed third at the University of Houston-Victoria Fall Classic.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvements, specifically during our last tournament in the fall,” said freshman Madeline Goad, who was a member of last season’s national tournament team. “That final tournament was our lowest showing of the fall, and it gives us a lot of hope as we move into the spring about what we’re capable of. We’ve proven to ourselves that we can compete.”
Goad and Katelyn Foster are the lone returners from the 2020-21 team and Johnson said that experience will be vital to Blinn’s growth.
“Those are the two that we feel like we can really lean on as our leaders, and to set the example for our young players as we push forward,” Johnson said. “We’re young on the women’s side, but that experience from Madeline and Katelyn could help us grow up pretty quickly.”
Blinn is ready for a return to junior college golf’s biggest stage, Goad said.
“I think it’s easy to see that we want to take this program somewhere,” she said. “Even more so after we went to nationals last year, and the freshmen want to keep that going this year.”
The Blinn men and women will compete in four tournaments this spring, ending with the Blinn Spring Classic on April 3-4 at Brenham Country Club.
“It’s all about how you’re doing when you’re not playing well,” Johnson said. “When you’re struggling and elements like weather and wind come into play, that’s when you have to realize you’re not playing anyone else, and that you’re playing yourself and the course you’re standing on. When we find out that that’s what we’re doing and make great decisions on the course, I think we’ll be in even better shape.”
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
