Ask some golfers about “teamwork,” and their reaction might include a long pause, followed by a blank stare.
Ask San Jose State’s Mark Hubbard, and the reigning Western Athletic Conference golf champion might recall his high school basketball days at Colorado Academy, perhaps setting up a play that freed him up for an open jumper.
Hubbard averaged more than 20 points a game as a senior at Colorado Academy, led the league in 3-point shooting and was named to the state high school all-star game in 2007.
“Golf is an individual sport, and most golfers didn’t grow up with that whole team chemistry thing going for them,” Hubbard said. “I definitely think the competitiveness you learn by playing other sports helps in golf.”
A Denver native, Hubbard has returned to the Front Range this week to lead the SJSU Spartans in the NCAA men’s golf “Colorado Regional” at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie. Thirteen teams are entered in the three-day, 54-hole event that begins Thursday, and the top five advance to the championship.
Although 12th-seeded San Jose State may be viewed as a longshot to make it through, Hubbard could be considered among the favorites for top individual honors. He placed first at Colorado National last September in the inaugural University of Colorado Mark Simpson Invitational.
“Yeah, I think I have a couple of advantages,” said Hubbard, a senior. “The transition from sea level to elevation is always a little bit of a factor for golfers, and obviously I grew up in Colorado. I do know the golf course, and it fits my game. And the fact that I will have so much support out there from family and friends, that has to help.”
An honor student with a business major, Hubbard also considered golf offers from Columbia, William & Mary, UC Santa Barbara, Davidson and George Washington. He learned about San Jose State’s program from Denver-based tour player Mark Wiebe, an SJSU alumnus. Hubbard was impressed by the competition that the Spartans face on a weekly basis and the courses they get to play.
SJSU coach John Kennaday tried to recruit Hubbard and Mark Wiebe’s son, Gunner, who chose the University of San Diego, host of another regional. Hubbard and Gunner Wiebe played golf together as junior players and then became high school rivals. At Kent Denver, Gunner played both golf and basketball, as did Hubbard at Colorado Academy.
“That’s a huge plus, having a guy that played basketball,” Kennaday said. “One is athleticism. And then there’s the team aspect. In college golf, you have five guys used to playing as lone wolves, but you’re trying to build a team. If you have all guys that have never been part of a team before, it doesn’t work too well.”
Hubbard was recruited by some NCAA Division II schools to play for both basketball and golf but chose to go D-I in the latter. “I knew my future was in golf; I wasn’t going to be playing in the NBA,” he said with a chuckle.
His golf game continues to improve. That comes as no surprise to Mark Wiebe, who gave Hubbard pointers on course strategy and lessons on the short game several years ago.
“I always thought it was great to grow up playing an individual sport like golf and also a team sport. Each is beneficial in its own way,” Wiebe said. “As a college coach, I’d love that. When you get a kid that’s a nice golfer and he hasn’t just concentrated on golf, you’re thinking that kid hasn’t come close to reaching his potential.”
Thanks in large part to Hubbard, San Jose State will be making its first appearance in an NCAA regional since 1997. Kennaday considers Hubbard to be “one of the best putters in the game” and not just at the college level. “This young man can roll the rock,” the coach said.
Hubbard employs a crouching, low-to-the-ground putting stance and, reminiscent of Jack Nicklaus, he has a push stroke rather than a conventional pendulum swing.
“Putting has always been my strength, my fallback,” Hubbard said. “On this (Colorado National) course, a lot of putts inside 10 feet look like they are going to break more than they do. Green reading and putting are always a key, but they may be even more important on this course.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
NCAA men’s golf regional
When: Thursday-Saturday, admission is free
Where: Colorado National Golf Club, Erie (off Highway 7, 2.5 miles west of Interstate 25).
Format: Thirteen five-man teams are entered in this Division I 54-hole event. The top four out of five scores count for each team for that particular round.
Top seeds: No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 Arizona State, No. 5 Clemson.
Local teams: No. 11 seed Colorado State and No. 13. Denver. Regional host Colorado did not make the NCAA field.
Who advances: The top five teams from each of six regionals advance to the national finals, May 31-June 5 in Stillwater, Okla. The top individual not on those five teams also advances.
Play: Approximately 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Thursday and Friday, and 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
