While the men’s golf team was unable to compete during the fall due to COVID-19, the 11 players that made up the team did not let the pandemic hinder their determination. Instead, it made the team even more determined and grateful to have a successful season.
“[Not being able to play in the fall] made us want to play better in the way that we were simply more grateful,” said head coach Press McPhaul. “Everyone in college golf took it for granted and there was just a sense of gratitude with a chance to be out competing… The guys stayed sharp because they competed in tournaments, but it’s more complicated competing as a team rather than an individual, because you’re playing for other people.”
After a slow start to the season, finishing just fifth at both the Sea Best Invitational and the Seminole Intercollegiate, the Pack saw a slight turn in its play. NC State posted a third-place finish at the Wake Forest Invite at No. 2 Pinehurst, its third tournament of the season.
“The team’s confidence was rising and they were beginning to show the team they were,” McPhaul said. ”It was just a matter of time before they had success and it continued to snowball. We were on the cusp of success last March and felt like we were going to play our best golf, but COVID hit. It took another year to rise to the top and to enjoy the success we were waiting to have.”
In the team’s remaining four regular season matches, the Pack placed first at all of them with a combined total of 106-under par. NC State’s best score came during the Stitch Intercollegiate, where the team shot a program record of 51-under par. The four consecutive wins throughout March and April are the most wins in a single season since the 1982-83 season. In addition, this boosted the team’s Golfstat ranking to No. 8.
To begin postseason play, the Pack competed in the ACC Championship in Atlanta, Georgia. The team finished in third place during individual stroke play, advancing to the match-play portion as it faced Clemson during the semifinals. However, the Pack was unable to secure its spot in the finals as it fell to Clemson 3-1-1.
As the Pack moved up in rankings and finished third at the ACC Championship, it qualified to head to the NCAA Kingston Regional. After three days of stroke play, NC State finished tied for fourth place with Clemson at 3-under par. Their fourth place tie advanced the Pack to the NCAA Championship, the team’s 19th appearance in program history.
NC State competed against 29 other teams during the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Pack played its last round of the season finishing 36-over par. Its 20th place finish wasn’t enough to advance the Wolfpack to the final round of stroke play for the title.
The men’s golf team ended the season ranked No. 20 on Golfstat Team Ranking and fifth in the ACC, with an average score of 283.60. Although NC State fell short of capturing the NCAA Championship, the team had major success as it broke program records despite an 11-month break in competition.
As the team faced success as a whole, individuals on the team also found major success, especially Shipp. He finished in first place for two tournaments and in the top 10 four other times. He played all 30 rounds of the season with an average of 70.40 and 1-under par. With his accomplishments, he was named Golfweek Men’s College Player of the Week in March as well as being selected to Team USA at the 2021 Arnold Palmer Cup.
Another player for the Pack who had an outstanding season was sophomore Maximilian Steinlechner. Steinlechner also played in all 30 rounds of the season and his best tournament finish came in the Wake Forest Invite at No. 2, where he tied for second place. He ended the season at even par and an average of 70.87.
“We’re losing a lot by losing two of our players, graduate students Christian Salzer and Benjamin Shipp, but we have some pretty strong mindsets and men on the team,” McPhaul said. “I think we’ll be able to bring some more guys along and compete because they have a lot of success to look back on.”
