The Arizona Men’s Golf team is off to a strong start this year, ranked No. 20 out of 292 Division 1 golf teams in the country, according to the Golf Coaches Association of America poll.
But beyond rankings, this team stands out for its camaraderie and mental toughness, said head coach Jim Anderson.
“I think we’re very composed. Sometimes I’d like to see even a little more energy and fire and excitement from our guys, but I think it speaks to their professionalism. It’s a lot of fun to be around because they are very composed,” he said.
The team started this season coming in first place in the Arizona Thunderbirds tournament in March. The Wildcats also recently hosted and took second place at the National Invitational Men’s College Golf Tournament (NIT).
Still, the team says it can accomplish more during the rest of the season.
Golfer Zach Pollo is a junior at Arizona who made the Pac-12 all freshman team and the Pac-12 second team in his freshman and sophomore year at Arizona. He said he looks to build off that this year, but also knows golf is a mental game. He admitted that he struggled with the mental side of golf growing up and tries not to get into his own head.
“Even though there are obviously shots and putts that mean more, all the shots equally matter and just trying to trick your mind into thinking every single shot is the same,” he said.
That’s the common theme within the program. Anderson said players’ ability to stay true to themselves and their habits has been a key reason for Arizona’s success in recent years.
With each event, the team gains more experience and continues to build toward its ultimate goal: a deep run in the NCAA Championships. The Wildcats have made the NCAA championships two out of the past three seasons, in 2022 and 2024.
The University of Arizona men’s golf team practices at the William M. “Bill” Clements Golf Center, which was finished last year.
Golf teams play in tournaments, with no head-to-head matches. And while there are nine guys on the roster, only five travel. The team holds qualifiers before each tournament. The scores of the qualifiers determine which players will travel to the next tournament.
Anderson said he sets high goals for this team and believes there is no reason why they shouldn’t be able to accomplish them.
“We want to win the Big 12 championship, and we want to win the national championship. Both of those goals are attainable and both of them are challenging, but we think based on the talent we have and the resources we use, we can do it,” he said.
Johnny Walker, a senior in his final year at Arizona, has been part of the rotation for four years, recording his lowest score — a positive in golf – when he was a sophomore and helped the Wildcats win the Memorial Classic that fall. Walker said he is sad his time at Arizona is dwindling, but loves how well this team gets along. He thinks that makes this team special.
“I think we get along really well with each other. There are a lot of teams out there that don’t get along sometimes, and this group is really close and we do a lot of things together. We’re also really hardworking. Everyone always wants to get better,” he said.
Walker and Pollo are both working to master their course management, or how to plan out a round, which they said they have learned from Anderson.
“A lot of junior golfers usually just go out there and hit it at the pin, and there are sometimes where if you miss it it’s going past the green. So you got to know where to miss it,” Walker said.
As the Wildcats continue their journey, they said the right mindset could be the difference between a solid season and a championship run. With a focus on mental toughness and a belief in their potential, they believe they can achieve the ultimate goal, Anderson said.
“We know it won’t be easy, but as we get closer and closer to the finish line of this season, if we can have two or three of our best players playing how they typically do, and we find a way to touch the right buttons for a fourth and a fifth man, we can be a team that is very difficult to beat,” he said.
The Wildcats have two tournaments left before the Big 12 tournament and NCAA regionals.
They travel to Augusta, Georgia to play in the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational on April 5-6, followed by the Western Intercollegiate in Santa Cruz, Calif. on April 14-16.
The Wildcat champions wall is located right when you walk into the facility showing all of the golf program’s accomplishments.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
