NMJC Golf Finishes Second in Waco, First in JC Competition

The New Mexico Junior College golf team finished second at Waco River Classic. The Sept. 19-20 event featured 11 separate colleges.

The Thunderbirds shot a three-round total of 858, good for 6-under and first place in junior college competition. The T-Birds edged out Midland College (865), McLennan CC (872), and Western Texas CC (875) in competition at Bear Ridge Golf Club.

Head coach Jay Rees was pleased with the performance, but also sees room for improvement he said.

"I thought the play from our top five guys was good," Rees said. "However, it is like the way I was taught. It is not how good your good is, it's how good is your bad. If we make doubles and triples, it's going to be hard to win. I think we did a pretty good job of limiting those mistakes this week."

The top five golfers for NMJC are all internationals, making some conditions a tough adjustment for the players. The weather in Waco was hot and humid, unlike what the team has become accustomed to in eastern New Mexico.

The course itself featured bermuda grass, which is native to the United States and not often found in courses internationally. The switch from bentgrass greens to bermuda greens took time for the players to become accustomed to.   

The T-Birds were led by sophomores Matthis Lefèvre and Mads Røddik, who both fired a three-round total of 213 (-3). Sophomore Tim Chan finished the classic with an even par 216. Freshman Will Green finished the tournament with a 2-over par 218 total. Freshman Individual golfer Jono Boediman shot a 1-over par score of 217.  

"We haven't played our 'A' game yet, but I feel like Mads and Matthis are in a good place," Rees said. "We need Tim to get rid of those big numbers, but overall, with those three sophomores and a large depth of freshman and returners we should be able to compete and hopefully win any tournament we enter."

Midland (JV) won the classic shooting 17-under par for a total score of 847. The school brought two teams to the competition, however Golfstat will only recognize the first team entered in the competition. 

"It was an anomaly that the Midland (JV) team finished in first place in front of us and in front of their first team, but I think we can turn it into a positive and use this as motivation going forward." 

Coach Rees was hired at NMJC as the head coach in January of 2022. The Emporia, KS native said he is proud of the body of work his players have displayed in his first eight months on the job. 

"This time last year the team lost to Midland in this same tournament by 51 shots. This year we improved our score by 55 shots," Rees said. "I believe it is a huge positive step forward for our team."

No. 2 NMJC will travel to Newton, KS for the NJCAA DI National Preview Sept. 26-28.