Mark Farley’s confidence took a hit this past fall.
In the team’s season-opening tournament of the 2015-16 season, the Hartford Hawk Invitational, the sophomore carded a 29-over par, finishing in 99th place.
It was the only event Farley participated in during the Owls’ fall season after appearing in four fall tournaments in 2014.
At the Furman Intercollegiate from March 25-27, Farley tied for 19th out of 115 golfers at his first tournament of the spring—89 spots higher than when he tied for 108th at the event as a freshman.
“In the fall I just got out of rhythm and it snowballed into a bad semester on the course,” Farley said. “[Furman] was huge for my confidence. It’s really encouraging because all winter I’ve been working at it.”
Farley and the Owls hope to continue their momentum from Furman after a sixth-place finish as a team.
In the fall, the team carded two Top-10 finishes in six events. The Owls had nine Top-10 finishes in 2014-15, including two tournament wins.
At the team’s first event of the spring, the squad tied for 16th at the Kingsmill Intercollegiate.
“The biggest thing that a Division-I college golfer has to realize is to be patient and enjoy the process,” senior Brandon Matthews said.
“Even the best players in the world struggle for most of the year,” Matthews added. “What they’re showing on TV every week is the guys that are playing really well in that particular event.”
Coach Brian Quinn said Farley’s results came from an improved approach to his game following the fall semester.
“He was definitely the star of the week,” Quinn said. “He’s working a little harder. I think he’s only scratching the surface. If he continues to work really hard on his game, the sky’s the limit for him.”
Along with an improved work ethic from Farley, Quinn said he has been impressed by freshman Trey Wren.
Wren participated in all six of the team’s tournaments in the fall, finishing in the Top 50 three times.
In the team’s two spring events, the freshman finished tied for 82nd and tied for 21st at Furman, a career-high finish.
“Trey Wren is probably five shots better per round than when he came to Temple University,” Quinn said. “I have to tell him to leave. He is everything you want in a student-athlete.”
Greg Frank can be reached at greg.frank@temple.edu or on Twitter @g_frank6.
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