Woolsey and Huskies Off to Strong Fall Campaign
10/29/2019
The University of Washington Men’s Golf team is off to a blazing hot start, currently sitting at 19th in the nation, while being ranked as high as number two during the fall season. This phenomenal stretch is thanks in no small part to junior Noah Woolsey, who has won the individual title at three of the four tournaments the Huskies have competed in.
When asked about his great play since the start of the fall season, Woolsey mentioned team dynamic and momentum.
“We started our fall season right after a great trip to Dublin with our first event, the Husky Invitational,” said Woolsey.
“We all played really well on a course we know. I’d played the course before and played really well in a field that was really strong.”
Woolsey grabbed his first win of the season at the Huskies home tournament in Bremerton tying for first with fellow Dawg Jan Schneider. But this was just the beginning for the northern California product.
“After the Husky Invitational, we still weren’t in school and had a lot of time to get on the course and practice,” said Woolsey. “We were playing every day before heading to Wake Forest for the next tournament. We had the confidence rolling over from the Husky and we knew we could play with these better teams out there.”
At a tournament hosted by the number one ranked Wake Forest in the country at the time, the Huskies took hold of first place after day one by posting a -23 as a team and never looked back. Following the second day of the tournament, the Huskies held on to their position as top Dawgs, finishing with a -30.
“The entire team played really well,” said Woolsey. “For me, having two years of experience at high level tournaments gave me some belief that we can play with anyone in the country. Beating Wake Forest on their home course was really cool.”
Woolsey took his first collegiate outright crown in North Carolina and his second-straight tournament win, posting a -15 during the three-round, two-day event.
Despite Woolsey’s rapid success this season, it hasn’t always been easy for him at the University of Washington.
“The last few years have been tough,” explained Woolsey. “After I committed, the team had some bad luck. We lost some guys from different circumstances, so our team was left with seven guys which was unfortunate, especially playing in some very competitive tournaments and we weren’t deep enough at the time.”
But things have been different this season for Woolsey and the Huskies.
“When everyone returned this year, we defined roles and have been feeding off each other,” said Woolsey. “These guys know what it's like to compete for the team and not just for themselves. At the end of the day its team golf, and that’s how we’re playing.”
But something changed for the Huskies and allowed this team to confident from the very first tee of the season.
“This year at the Husky, nobody shot over par on our team,” said Woolsey. “We recognized all five of us can play really well and we can do damage as a group. But the real breakthrough was beating Wake Forest on their home course.”
The Huskies weren’t finished after Wake Forest, however. After finishing eighth at the tough Maridoe Intercollegiate in Carrollton, Texas, Woolsey led the way once more with another individual crown and a team win at the Georgetown Intercollegiate.
In three of the four tournaments the Huskies have competed in, Woolsey has won the individual title.
“When everyone returned this year, we defined roles and have been feeding off each other,” said Woolsey. “These guys know what it's like to compete for the team and not just for themselves. At the end of the day its team golf, and that’s how we’re playing.”
But Woolsey isn’t focused on his individual statistics. Rather, he’s focused on getting ready for the final tournament of the fall season, taking place in Hawaii, the Ka’anapali Collegiate.
“We have a full week of practice coming up,” said Woolsey. “We’ll be setting up some drills at our facilities, play a few rounds, and keep it competitive within the team. We’ll definitely focus on the basics before we head to Hawaii, and then play some practice rounds out there.”
Woolsey and the Huskies are looking to finish their fall season on a high note, and keep the momentum going through to the spring.