More than three months separate the end of IUPUI’s fall golf season and the start of the Jaguars’ first spring tournament.
Senior Austin Crowder doesn’t want to lose momentum.
Crowder is one of two former Center Grove golfers who flourished in the final fall season of their college golf career. The other is Zack Carrabine, a fixture in Butler’s lineup this fall and a former classmate and teammate of Crowder.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Both bounced back nicely after somewhat disappointing junior seasons.
“Last year I struggled,” said Crowder, referring to his 18-hole stroke average of 76.25 as a junior after posting a 74.59 norm during a sophomore season in which he was named to the All-Summit League second team.
“But I went into this past summer with a different mindset. I started working out more and playing more. I didn’t want to play well in tournaments; I wanted to win them.”
And so he did.
First-place performances at the IGA Match Play Championship at Purgatory Golf Club in Noblesville and Indiana PGA Northern Open in Elcona gave Crowder an abundance of confidence entering a new school year.
He carded a scorching 71.6 stroke average through 15 rounds of golf this fall. Crowder shot five of the Jaguars’ six sub-70 rounds and eight of the team’s 11 lowest scores.
“Austin has always been a good ball striker, but he’s starting to make a few clutch putts, too,” IUPUI coach Jamie Broce said. “And Austin is a gamer. You put him in a pressure situation, and he loves it. He brings a strong championship demeanor to our team, but doesn’t take himself too seriously.”
Carrabine’s stroke average of 73.17 in the fall season was compiled through four tournaments and 12 rounds of golf. That was a significant improvement from Carrabine, who took part in only two tournaments for the Bulldogs the entire 2017-18 school year.
“Zack has been our low scorer in two tournaments, and they were probably the two hardest tournaments we played in,” Butler coach Bill Mattingly said. “The toughest courses he’s played his best. Zack made up his mind this summer he would put in the work and the time, and it’s paid off.”
Carrabine said this being his last year of college golf has been a contributing factor.
“It just came from this season being my last and wanting to end on a good note. Last year was more about how I was approaching it,” Carrabine said. “Prior to each event I make a mental outline of each hole and am sticking to that.”
Until the spring season starts, Crowder and Carrabine plan to work on their games as much as time and weather allow.
IUPUI’s next event is Feb. 4-5 at the Horizon League match play tournament outside of Orlando, Florida. Butler starts its spring season a couple weeks later at a tournament in Savannah, Georgia.
The teams are scheduled to twice play in the same spring event — the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate (March 17-19 in Sevierville, Tennessee) and the Wright State Invitational (April 14-15). Those events will give Crowder and Carrabine an opportunity to exchange small talk and perhaps advice.
“It’s always fun seeing guys you grew up with at college events, especially guys like Zack, who I’m still great friends with today,” Crowder said. “We’ll hang out at the hotel and talk a little before and after the rounds, for sure.”
Until then.
