Golfers earn All-America Scholar

Weber State University golfers Nick Despain and Kurt Owen were recently awarded the Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar Team by the Golf Coaches Association of America.      

The All-America status was given to 119 golfers nationwide. Despain and Owen were only two of four golfers from the America Sky Golf Conference, as well as two of four golfers from the state of Utah, to receive the honor.

“It’s great knowing you’re not only achieving in your sport but doing well in the classroom and making use of the scholarship Weber State is giving you,” Owen said. “This honor is great because it gives me confidence in my abilities and knowing that I can take care of things on the course as well as in the classroom.”

To be eligible for All-America Scholar status, a golfer must meet certain criteria. The golfer must be a junior or senior academically, compete in two full years of collegiate golf, participate in 70 percent of his team’s competitive rounds, have a stroke average under 76 and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.2.

Despain finished this past season with an average stroke score of 74.6 and a GPA of 3.57 in zoology. Owen, meanwhile, averaged a 75.6 stroke average and has a 3.24 GPA in business administration.

Golf, according to Despain, is perhaps the most difficult sport to succeed in academically.

“I think it’s the toughest sport to keep your grades up in,” Despain said. “We’re on the road a lot and we don’t have the luxury of just games at night or on the weekend. I mean, for a tournament we will leave on Saturday and be gone for four days with no time to study. You really have to be on top of your schoolwork or else it is easy to get behind in.”

The honor didn’t come without hard work and it couldn’t have been given to more deserving players, said Dave Kearl, head coach for WSU Men’s Golf.

“Both Nick and Kurt are leaders on the team,” Kearl said. “They both work hard on and off the course. They practice on off-hours to stay on top of their games and they prepare and keep caught up on their schoolwork during the season.”

According to both Despain and Owen, golf has been instrumental in their academic success.

“Golf has taught me how to focus and how to organize,” Owen said. “I mean, to play good golf you have to be organized and focused and understand that every shot counts. That helps in school too because every test counts and every assignment counts.”

Due to the golfers’ work ethics, Kearl said he believes this would not be the only year both players would receive All-America Scholar status.

“Nick and Kurt will both probably get the award next year,” he said. “They are hard workers and I only expect them to improve not only their GPAs, but also their golf games. They have had great summers and have really worked hard. I’m expecting big things from them both this upcoming season.”