“I can’t believe I’m going into my fourth year. It’s crazy how quickly it goes by,” said Rowe, a Mount Douglas grad who is now 21. “I’m excited to see what this year brings.
“It’s been quite a buildup over the last three years. I think our team is trending in the right direction. We had a bit of a setback last year, but I think the team will be deeper this year, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Rowe and fellow fourth-years Michael Griffin and Bruce Tomie bring much experience to coach Justin Clews’ crew, which also includes Jake Hamilton, Jacob Hayes, Brandon McManus and newcomers Josh Miller of Victoria and Russell du Toit of Kimberley.
Miller won the Zone 5 Men’s Amateur this summer and joins the program from Keiser University and du Toit is the younger brother of amateur standout Jared du Toit, who just turned pro this season and enjoyed a successful campaign — the top Canadian on the PGA Tour Canada-Mackenzie Tour.
“Lawren will be leading the team, but Josh Miller is a good addition,” said Clews, who takes his team into Olympia Golf and Country Club today for the St. Martin’s University event in Lacey, Washington, and then heads to Bellingham on the weekend for the Western Washington University tournament.
“It’s always a question mark for the first event because they’re all getting settled into classes. Other than three or four practices we don’t have a lot of readiness outside of summer tournaments. I like the team that we’re taking, though,” Clews said of Rowe, Griffin, Tomie, Hayes and Miller, last of whom played his way on this week through qualification practices.
Clews can sub in players for the next event in Bellingham if he so chooses.
The sky is the limit for Rowe, who won four times last year.
“It has definitely been trending in the right direction,” said Rowe, who won the Thrifty Foods Golf Award for the second straight year. “This summer was a bit of a setback for me. I got to play in a bunch of bigger events that I hadn’t played before.
“It was a learning experience for sure, and I think I’ll be able to take that into this season with a lot of positives.”
He played a number of top-notch amateur events including the U.S. Amateur where he missed the cut at Riviera Country Club in California. He also struggled a bit at the Canadian Amateur, finishing tied for 37th, exactly middle of the pack.
Rowe said he plans to finish his degree next year. He’s majoring in art history and visual studies so he could play one more year, but only in the Canadian University championship. If he turns pro it would be after his fifth year, in 2019.
“I think he has high expectations to cap off his final NAIA year. He didn’t have the summer that he wanted but, hopefully, he gains momentum this fall and carries it into spring,” Clews said of Rowe. “Last fall he really played mistake-free golf.
“I still think he hasn’t shown what he can really do. I know it’s hard to better last fall, but I know his mindset is to go out and win every event, and the team is probably one of the best I’ve coached since I took over in terms of depth,” added Clews.
The Vikes women’s team does not start until Oct. 4 as they also venture to the Olympia and Bellingham courses.
