2015-16 Season Preview

PROVO, Utah – The BYU men’s golf team is looking forward to a positive and exciting 2015-16 season.

“I love the attitude on the team so far this year,” head coach Bruce Brockbank said. “I think the work ethic is great, and I like the potential of what we have. If the team goes to work, then by March or April hopefully we will come through when it counts.”

Brockbank, the 2013-14 WCC Coach of the Year, will begin his 23rd season as the BYU men’s head golf coach.

The Cougars will be returning one senior, Tommy Higham.  Higham’s best finishes last year were at the John H. Burns Intercollegiate and the Jones Invitational where he tied for 27^th in both events.

BYU will rely on the play of sophomore Patrick Fishburn, whose strong play last summer caught the attention of Brockbank.

“Patrick Fishburn has been playing extremely well,” Brockbank said. “We are going to lean on Patrick and some of the other upperclassmen. If Fishburn will continue to play the way he has been, he will help us a lot this coming season.”

The BYU men’s golf team lost three graduating seniors. The team will especially miss the leadership of standout Jordan Rodgers.

“Jordan is one of the all-time great guys,” Brockbank said. “He left the program on a great note, as he won the Cougar Classic in April, then the State Am and almost the Utah Open. It’s going to be hard to fill that void, and overall, it will be hard to fill the void of the upperclassmen lost.”

Three freshmen have been added to this year’s roster for the upcoming season, including Austen Christiansen from Houston, Spencer Dunaway of Mililani, Hawaii, and local athlete Kaimakani Ruiz of Mapleton, Utah. Coach Brockbank looks forward to their contribution.

“We are a pretty young team this year, but even though we are young, I think our experience level from our freshmen is superior to where we have been,” Brockbank said. “We have high expectations, but anytime you’re dealing with freshmen, you are going to have some ups and downs.”

The Cougars look forward to playing competitively this upcoming season.

BYU will continue its fall season next Monday and Tuesday Sept. 21-22 as they participate in the Husky Invitational in Cle Elum, Washington.