-- Story provided by Hope College Athletics --
Junior co-captain Jack Crawford and the Hope College men's golf team are ready for a moment nine months in the making.
The Flying Dutchmen are competing at the 2022 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships this week at Mission Inn Resort Club in Howie-in-the-Hills, Florida.
The 72-hole, four-day tournament tees off on Tuesday, May 10. There is a 36-hole cut.
"We have been preparing for this moment since the first day of the fall season. Back in August the team got together and came up with a game plan on how we were going to reach our ultimate goal of making it to the national championship," Crawford said. "Day in and day out, all 10 guys on our team have come to practice with the intention of making not only themselves better but also everyone around them a better golfer.
"We're all excited and ready to have some fun down in Florida," he said.
On Tuesday, Hope will tee off at 11:45 a.m. on the par-72, 6,748-yard El Campeon course. On Wednesday, the Flying Dutchmen will start at 7:30 a.m. on the par-71, 6,792-yard Los Colinas Course.
Crawford (Carmel, Indiana / Carmel HS), pictured, and his teammates qualified for the nationals for the first time since 2019.
In April, Hope won the MIAA's 54-hole NCAA qualifier by 10 strokes over runner-up Trine University behind scoring rounds from Crawford, sophomores Logan DeWitt and Will Robson, and freshmen Jack Guerrera and Ben Jackson.
This is the first trip to nationals for all six Flying Dutchmen golfers.
Fortunately for them, a past national champion has provided valuable insight on what to expect. Josh Gibson '19 — a two-time Jack Nicklaus Division III Men's Golf Award winner and 2018 individual national champion — has met and worked with the team at the invitation of head coach Scott Lokers.
"Josh has given this team a wonderful gift in his time and attention," Lokers said. "It is a vivid reminder that there are many former members of our team who want members of this team to experience all the fun and challenge of a national championship."
Gibson, who is pursuing a professional golf career on mini-tours in Florida, has been a tremendous asset to this year's team, Crawford said.
"Josh has an amazing gift for breaking down every aspect of a golf game and helping us make sound decisions on the golf course," Crawford said. "Josh has personally taught me how to have better course management and how to remain calm on the course no matter how I am playing."
"Josh has reinforced to us to play one shot at a time, one hole at a time, one round at a time," Crawford said. "Don't overthink it, it's just golf at the end of the day. Having Josh around for the past six weeks has been amazing. When you have the opportunity to play with someone with as much talent as Josh has, you simply just become a better golfer."
Lokers has seen Crawford's growth as a team leader this school year.
"Jack has always been concerned about the performance of the team, not just his own performance. But this year, especially, I have watched him offer his teammates encouragement, challenge, and thoughtful strategies to help us play our best," Lokers said. "Jack is at the front of our team, creating positive momentum to help us excel."
Crawford said he has been focused on being as positive and uplifting as he can to his teammates.
"Golf is a tough sport mentally. You have to stay strong and focused throughout the whole round," Crawford said. "I'm a big believer in setting small goals so that you reach the ultimate goal in the end. This spring season more than ever we've tried to learn something about ourselves from each and every round of golf. Each round has slowly and meticulously been preparing us for the biggest stage yet."
