In rainy conditions at Keene Country Club, the Keene State College Men’s Golf team showed that its progress is extending beyond one individual performance on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
Sophomore Taylor Miller led the way for the Owls, shooting a 1-under-par 70 to earn his first collegiate individual medal at Keene State’s home invitational. The Stoddard, N.H. native remained composed throughout the round, recording a par or better on nine of his final 11 holes.
“I was just trying to not make too many mistakes, keep the ball in the right spots and stay out of trouble,” Miller said.
Miller’s performance helped Keene State’s A group finish with a 309, the program’s best team score at Keene Country Club. Aidan Davis followed with a 77, while Sean Bonneau shot 80. The Owls also received strong performances from their second group, which finished with a 316.
For Head Coach Jeffrey Timmer, the team’s depth was one of the most encouraging aspects of the tournament.
“Early in the season we had a discussion about the only way that the team gets better is if everybody pushes each other,” he said. “They’ve taken to heart and they’re all pushing each other to get better.”
The consistency throughout the lineup was especially significant. Keene State had several players finish within a narrow scoring range, giving the Owls contributions throughout both groups rather than relying on one or two golfers.
Timmer said that consistency is a sign of how much the program has developed since its first season.
“It’s our fifth [season] and we continue to get better,” Timmer said. “It speaks volumes to the depth that they’re starting to gain and now we can just continue to get better and better.”
Miller’s individual victory was another indication of that progress. After missing more than a week earlier in the season because of an injury, he said the experience taught him patience and helped him continue to score when he returned.
“It developed through a lot of patience,” Miller said. “I didn’t play for a little over a week with a little injury thing, so it felt good to kind of learn some patience and still be able to score.”
First-year Cole Madden also saw the tournament as evidence of the team’s growing depth. Competing in his first Keene State invitational, Madden said the transition to college golf has gone smoothly after playing tournament golf before arriving at Keene State.
“Obviously Taylor played great, but we had a lot of underclassmen shoot pretty well for us,” Madden said. “That’s big going into the future.”
Madden said the competition within the team has helped create an environment where any player can contribute.
“We have some serious depth and I think anyone at any time can shoot the best score on this team,” Madden said. “That’s what makes us pretty good.”
With the Little East Conference championship approaching, Keene State will look to carry that consistency and internal competition forward. For Timmer, the message to his players is simple: trust their own games and avoid trying to become someone else on the course.
“I really need them to just continue to be who they are as individuals,” Timmer said. “Everybody plays differently and I want them to realize that they can be successful in their differences.”
Lauren Bender can be contacted at
lbender@kscequinox.com
