A&M-Commerce golf team set to begin season

Starting next week, the A&M-Commerce men's and women's golf teams will be underway in their Fall season. Both programs are coming off a very unusual season, according to head coach Louie Bledsoe.

"Last year we had kind of an ‘elevator' season," he said. "We would play well in some tournaments, and others we just wouldn't have it. It was a real inconsistent year, which is something we haven't usually had in the past few years."

It was also the last season for Danny Jun and Heather Pantalion. Both were the leading seniors and players on their respective teams. Bledsoe said Jun's departure may be particularly hard, but he also believes senior Dustin Gideon has a chance to fill his shoes as a team leader.

"Danny's going to be missed quite a bit, because of leadership as well as playing," he said. "Hopefully, Dustin can step in. He already has in the first few weeks."

Pantalion is not playing for the women's team anymore, but she has joined the golf program as a graduate assistant. Bledsoe said he was happy to have her involved with the team.

"Heather's really knowledgeable," he said. "I think it's going to be a big help to me with office work, plus with some of the freshmen. She'll be going to tournaments, and that helps having two coaches there. You can give more attention to the players."

Having already done some work with the team, Pantalion said she thinks highly of the seven new freshmen women players.

"I believe that every new person that we have had come in will better the team, by far, better than we've been even in the past three or four years that I played," she said. "Out of the seven new girls, every one of them has potential just as much as the four returning."

Pantalion said the returning players all have parts to play, and picked out senior Kathleen May and junior Malonie Oats as the ones to watch.

"Both of them have high potential, if they stick with it and keep practicing as hard as they are right now," she said.

The teams began practice last Tuesday, according to Bledsoe. While they have got in about four sessions, he said the weather is limiting his chances to see every player.

"It's real limited time that we've been on the course," Bledsoe said. "If the weather keeps like this, it's going to be difficult to see everyone."

The fall season is about giving everyone a look, according to Bledsoe.

"One thing I want to do in the fall is get everyone in at least one tournament, just to see how they react," he said. "When we come back in the spring, everyone goes to [A&M-Commerce's] tournament so they get one more. After that, what I'll try to do is get players who do well in the tournaments, not just qualifiers."

The women's golf team travels to Tahlequah, Oklahoma for the Northeastern State University Women's Golf Classic beginning Sept. 12. The men's team begins play on Sept. 13 with the Charles Coody West Texas Invitational in Abilene, Texas.