Sports

Witcher still in his winning ways

• Former Darton golf star Brent Witcher has not lost his touch at Valdosta State.

Scott Chancey

AUSTIN, Texas — Things never seem to change for Brent Witcher.

He was a two-time First-team NJCAA Division II All-American as Darton College’s top-seeded golfer. Not only did he help lead the Cavaliers to their first two national titles, Witcher was medalist his freshman year and runner-up as a sophomore. After taking last spring off and now attending Valdosta State, he is the Gulf South Conference’s Golfer of the Year and NCAA Division II’s top competitor.

“The year has gone well,” Witcher said. “I felt pretty confident and practiced a lot over the winter break and worked on a lot of short game. I had been throwing away a lot of shots around the greens. Worked on my chipping, I hit it pretty well at times but not able to put it together.”

Witcher, a finalist for the Jack Nicklaus Award finish, which recognizes NCAA Division II’s top player, is never being satisfied with his game. After recently finishing second in the conference tournament, he and his teammates begin play in the South/South Central Super Regional at Austin’s par-71 Grey Rock Golf Club. The top two teams from the three-day tournament advances to the national tournament May 14-17 in Houston.

Witcher, whose scoring average is 70.7, is joined on the team by former Darton teammate Jason Flowers of Moultrie and Deerfield-Windsor product James Salter. Flowers, along with Witcher, were First-Team All-Americans at Darton in 2005. Flowers, who also won in Ocoee, Fla., last fall, is also with the team in Texas and has a 76.2 scoring average.

Witcher has finished among the top 10 in nine of the Blazers’ tournaments since last fall and won two. He won October’s NSU Sharks Invitational with a three-day total of 3-under-par 213 and the NDNU Classic in March (204).

Witcher also tied for first in the Blazers’ First Federal Southern Collegiate but lost in a playoff.

“Chipping outside the greens is my biggest improvement,” Witcher said. “I think I’m also being more consistent and more comfortable. I’m not making any really big mistakes.”

Witcher had long dreamed of playing golf for Georgia but could not qualify out of high school. At Darton, he set the tournament record in 2005 by going 12 under par (the Cavaliers also set the team record at 28 under) and was the runner-up in 2006. With the Bulldogs still on his mind, Witcher planned to become academically eligible while continuing his education in the fall of 2006 at Georgia Perimeter, which is closer to his hometown of Lawrenceville.

He was unable, however, to make the necessary math grade and found himself at a crossroads.

“For the first few months, it was pretty hard,” Witcher said. “I felt like I worked really hard in the fall and just didn’t do well in that class and I was ready to go to Georgia. Then, when I realized I wasn’t going, I was in a stage of, ‘What to do?’ ”

The road to Valdosta State then took shape.

After attempting to qualify for tours, he soon realized he was not ready to turn pro yet and wanted to finish his college education. Valdosta’s Kinderlou Forest Golf Club head pro Chris Dixon, who had been an assistant at Stonebridge Golf & Country Club, had helped Witcher’s game and he often visited Valdosta to play with Flowers.

Witcher, considering those factors, then joined the Blazers and it has appeared to be the perfect fit for him.

“Sometimes it’s better to be the big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond,” said Darton coach Dale Dover, who coached Witcher both years.

Now majoring in communications, Witcher said he had a 3.2 GPA. Having thrived in the two junior college national tournaments in Scottsboro, Ala., Witcher will likely look back to those days if he makes it to Houston.

“I’ll be more relaxed, that will help a lot,” Witcher said. “It’s just another tourney but it obviously does mean a lot more. You can’t sit around and wonder, ‘What does it mean if I win or don’t?’ If you get caught up in that, you put too much pressure on yourself. Just relax and play and all will come into place.”

Based on his seven top-five finishes and nine in the top 10, Witcher should have all the confidence in the world.

“That’d be great,” Witcher said of the possibility of being NCAA Division II medalist. “That’s what I practice every day for. To have the opportunity to win each week is the goal, whether you win or not is not as big a deal as always being in the hunt and having a chance to win. That’s a bigger deal for me.”

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