Golf ready for spring after trending up

The first fall season in the return of men's golf to Weatherford College is in the books. And if you ask head coach Jesse Speirs, it was a good return after the program was on a sabbatical of more than two decades. 

"The fall season went better than I had anticipated. All the guys are true freshmen, and it's hard to gauge how they will perform at the beginning," he said. "I felt like each tournament we played, the team got better as a whole and individually. 

"We nearly won our third event in Victoria, lost by a few shots, and had one player win the individual title. We still have a lot to work on, but—heading into the offseason—we have things that we learned and can improve on, me as a coach and them as players." 

Speirs was referencing the University of Houston Fall Classic, where Bryce McCracken shot 204 over three rounds to win the individual championship. He posted scores of 69, 67 and 68, leading the Coyotes to a runner-up finish with a team score of 851, just six strokes behind champion Houston. 

The Coyotes had another top-10 finisher in that tournament, with Gatlin Goad placing 10th with a 213 total (70-72-71). Bradley Missel wasn't far behind with a 216 (76-73-67). 

In late September, the Coyotes finished seventh as a team at the High Country Shootout in Ruidoso, New Mexico. They were led by Chris Choi's 207 (66-70-71), which tied him for 14th overall, while Goad shot 213 (72-71-70). 

And, in their first tournament, the Coyotes finished eighth at the Bosque River Run Classic in Waco. They ended the fall, placing 14th in the NJCAA Championship Preview in Odessa. 

"We had a good mix of events this fall that showed us what we need to work on and improve. We will work on those things this offseason and be ready to get after it in the spring," Speirs said. 

And while there are no college tournaments again until after the first of the year, Speirs said his players would stay busy during the break. 

"It's a little difficult to find things to compete in this time of year, but there is still a decent amount of options for the guys to play in and keep their games sharp," he said. 

"I'm proud of the guys and how they have come together as a team. If we can keep improving off of our progress, we will have a fun spring."