Men’s Golf
’The team is very close‘: Holy Cross men’s golf flashes potential
Jose Sanchez Cordova | Friday, May 13, 2022
In their second straight season without a win, the Holy Cross men‘s golf team showed flashes of potential with a few top-three tournament finishes as they looked to get back to winning ways. Head coach T.J. Mannen spoke about the challenges the team faced in putting together a good tournament.
“It‘s all about consistency. The team didn‘t have a consistent two-round score. First-round would be too high and put us out of contention or the second round shot us out of it.” Mannen said.
Despite the lack of wins, Mannen was able to draw positives from the past season. He highlighted team chemistry and the team’s potential heading into the 2022-2023 season.
“We have a great young team that has been competitive,” Mannen said. “Each player is maturing in their own way. Some are really coming into their game while others are still trying to find that winning formula. The team is very close and has bonded together to help each other out. Great team chemistry will help us win next year.”
This season also stood out for the individual performance of junior Collin Todora. Most notably, Todora put together a great three rounds to win individual honors at the CCAC tournament. The win earned him a spot at the 2022 NAIA National Championship taking place May 17-20. Coach Mannen believes Todora has a chance to be competitive on the national stage.
“Collin has matured so much this past year and it has showed. He has been very consistent and composed in all kinds of elements we have played in. He is a very competitive player and he will grind out a good score even when he‘s not at his best. I see him making the cut at nationals and contending for the top spot. He has the game to be the best. It‘s just going to take a good week to win it all.” Mannen said.
With Todora and several other experienced players returning, Mannen is hopeful the team can get back to winning ways next season. A successful season for the Saints could mean a return to the NAIA Team National Championships for the first time since 2019.
“We will have a great schedule of PGA Tour venues that will test each one of our players to see how they measure up against some of the best teams in the country. We will be playing courses such as Whistling Straits, TPC Southwind, Grand National, TPC Deere Run, and even here in town at Warren GC and Blackthorn. I‘ll have five seniors playing their last year here and some new faces that will help make it all competitive. It‘s going to be a great year.” Mannen said.
