TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University men's golf team will tee off for the first time in a year when they take on Grays Harbor College and the University of Puget Sound in dual matches this weekend. The last time the Lutes hit the links they came home victorious, winning the Puget Sound Invitational in a playoff over Bellevue College. The Puget Sound Invitational was the only tournament the Lutes got to play in last spring before the pandemic hit.

The Lutes look to continue that momentum into the spring 2021 season. 

"Winning our last tournament of last season was one of the best moments we've had as a collective team, so we carried those vibes towards our off-season training and we'll continue to feed off of that going into the beginning of this season," said senior Jordan Lau. 

"Even though we haven't had a tournament in almost a year, we've all been grinding and practicing for when we would finally be able to compete again. We really focused in the fall to try and come up with ways to have competition within our team to imitate the feeling and pressure of a tournament."

The Lutes will be led by first year head coach Kyle Drugge '17. Drugge has been the assistant coach for the Lutes for the previous three years before getting a chance to take the helm in this 2021 campaign. 

Being a head coach is hard enough but jumping right into things during the middle of a pandemic has made things even more difficult for Drugge but he's taken it in stride and is ready to continue the Lutes' success. 

"I wanted to set the tone early. I believe we have the talent to compete with any team in the country, but I felt we needed to take some new approaches to become a more complete team. This year we have committed to learning from past seasons, relying on individual strengths, and finding new, engaging practice plans to help us prepare for the pressure of playing for a conference championship," said Drugge.

Drugge will be able to rely on the veteran leadership and experience that he has on this year's roster to make his first season a success. 

The Lutes have nine golfers on the roster, with six of them being upperclassmen. Seniors Jared Beals, Ryan Pearson, and Jordan Lau all made a big impact last season and will look to do so once again. Junior Gunner Nielsen also looks poised to play a prominent role in the Lutes top five this season. Joining the Lutes for their first season are Caden Arnold, Simon Luedtke, and Cameron Klundt.

"I think our veteran leadership will be crucial for this team. There is nothing that can replace the experience of playing at some of these golf courses and playing with more on the line in conference events. They know what it takes to win a conference championship and play at a really high level, so being able to show our first-years what that looks like on a regular basis is a great resource to our younger players. In fact, I have really leaned on them to help make decisions with qualifying, course strategy, and practice plans because I really trust their input" said Drugge.

The schedule for the Lutes this spring was consist of three dual matches against Puget Sound, Grays Harbor, and Saint Martins along with three Northwest Conference majors. The fall classic will be played at the Reserve in Aloha, Oregon at the end of March followed by the spring classic at Wine Valley in Walla Walla on Easter weekend. The Lutes will finish their regular season at the Northwest Conference Championship at Kalispel Golf Club in Spokane at the end of April. 

The Lutes will be looking to get back to nationals for the first time since they made it in the 2017-2018 season when this year's senior class were just freshman.

PLU begins the season Saturday at the Home Course, hosting Grays Harbor College before facing Puget Sound on Sunday at Oakbrook Golf Club.