Freshman Peter Jones was left out of the lineup for the Gophers’ first five tournaments of the spring.
When he broke through in the sixth tournament, Jones was sure to make the opportunity count.
He shot a 216 at the Thunderbird Invitational in Arizona, the lowest score among Minnesota golfers.
During his final round, he birdied four times on the back nine to finish tied for 27th in the field.
“He really went in as a more mature player at the Thunderbird, and I think that’s why he played well,” head coach John Carlson said. “I shouldn’t say, ‘I think.’ I know that’s why he played well, and he just made a lot of really good decisions that we talked about over the last six months on the golf course.”
Jones attempted to qualify for the previous five tournaments but missed the cut all five times. He finished second at the team’s qualifier for the Thunderbird Invitational, though, and got his chance to compete.
“He needed to have a better balance between … academics, and how much time he was going to put into golf,” Carlson said. “We knew he was a talented player coming in from high school, and as a freshman, he just got a little bit behind. And now he has made a nice change in his priorities and responsibilities as a student-athlete and has played well because of it.”
In the fall, Jones played on Minnesota’s “B” team at the Gopher Invitational and finished in a tie for 67th place with a 233.
He made the lineup for the team’s next event, the Husky Invitational, but shot the highest score on the team.
“[The fall tournaments] definitely helped [get] my feet wet and everything. And I definitely did not play how I wanted to, so it was for sure a learning experience on what I can do better,” Jones said.
Jones is one of only two freshmen, along with Tom Vining, who’s been able to get experience on the road this season.
“It’s been good competing against the guys. It really keeps you competitive throughout the whole year,” Vining said. “It’s been a good experience qualifying and trying to make the team each week.”
Jones is now trying to stay in the Gophers lineup for the Hawkeye Invitational, which starts on Saturday. Before playing his third qualifying round, he said he was in the middle of the pack, but he was looking to move up.
“If you have confidence, you need to keep pushing,” Jones said. “We’ll see what happens.”
