Wednesday afternoon was a historic day for WVU Golf, qualifying for their first NCAA Championship Tournament since 1947. The feat comes just nine years after the university added the golf program from scratch after joining the Big 12.
Head coach Sean Covich spoke to the media Thursday afternoon to discuss the program’s achievement and the preparation it took to do so.
“We felt like we were going to live by the driver or die by the driver; just stay aggressive off the tee because we are a really good driving team. I felt like the guys drove it phenomenal”
With only five available spots from the region, West Virginia finished third out of 12 teams. Covich spoke to the pressure and fun the team had.
“We kind of had fun. It was stressful fun but we kind of had fun coming down the stretch.” Covish later stated about being with family during the event, “I honestly think hanging out with our parents and our families and our friends every night gave us a competitive advantage because we weren’t over analyzing what could happen.”
The team’s final putt dropped when junior Max Clark rolled in a long par-putt to secure a spot for WVU in the NCAA Championship. The West Virginia head coach got choked up looking back at it.
“When that went in the cup, I probably still get a little emotional about it, because I go back to coming here and not having a golf ball, not having a player, not having an office, just a sheet of paper saying ‘hey you’re the golf coach’… it all kind of hit me when Max’s putt went in.”
It was a steep hill to climb for the Mountaineers when the program started from scratch nine years ago. During his time with the media, Covich mentioned how far the group has come since then. He brought up how when the team got started, they were finishing dead last in tournaments and not being invited to others.
The turning point for the program, according to Covich, was in 2019 when the team finished 6th in that year’s regional tournament, missing the cut for the NCAA Championships by three strokes. But the Mountaineer head coach says this year’s team has something different to them.
“I think there is something special about the team. It’s hard to describe because the five that at least made it to regionals, they’re all different in strengths and weaknesses with their game. But really, all twelve of our guys played a role at some point.”
The NCAA Tournament will be held at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California. Due to a cross-country trip, Covich knows fatigue will come into play with his squad.
“It’s going to be a factor, plus we are skipping time zones. It’s not like we are riding to Columbus, Ohio to go tee it off there. We have to go all the way back to San Diego a couple time zones over.”
The support for the team on Wednesday and all season long has meant the world to Coach Covich who joked his phone almost shut down and stopped working because of all the texts and phone calls he was receiving. However, he knows the support they receive will be what continues to fuel this team’s run.
“If we play good golf, good things will happen. But really just the fact that we know we are loved and supported no matter what happens kind of frees you up to go do something special.”
Play for the NCAA Championships will begin on May 24 in California.