The UH golf team is less than two weeks away from beginning its 2012-2013 season. Fourth-year head coach Jonathan Dismuke will have an experienced team to lead into a challenging schedule this season.
Roman Robledo will be the top returner for his Cougars in the 2012 season. Robledo was one of only two Cougars to appear in all 13 tournaments last season, posted a team-best 72.97 season scoring average, and was a member of the 2011-2012 Conference USA All-Freshman Team.
“Roman was our best player last year,” Dismuke said. “He has a lot of ability. Each and every week he is going to have a chance to win a golf tournament.”
Alongside Robledo comes a roster full of depth for the Cougars. Curtis Reed and Jesse Droemer also return to compete for spots in the rotation for the Cougars in 2012.
“We have a pretty strong returning group,” Dismuke said. “We’re starting to have some depth. It’s going to be nice to plug some guys in and get some guys some breaks throughout the year.”
Some new faces will also look to have an immediate impact for the Cougars this season. Freshmen Vince Martino and Blair Hamilton have some impressive credentials.
“Vince Martino was the number two ranked player in the state of Texas and was ranked very high nationally coming into our program,” Dismuke said. “Blair Hamilton is part of Team Canada’s Junior Developmental program and has played juniors all over the world.”
The Cougars will dive right into the fall season, opening with The Invitational, hosted by the College of Charleston at the Kiawah Island Golf Club in Charleston, S.C., on Sept. 9. Avid golf fans will recognize the name as the place where Rory McIlroy clinched his second PGA Player’s Championship less than a month ago.
“Our first two events are some of the best venues you can play in college golf,” Dismuke said.
The Cougars will open the spring season with a unique opportunity to co-host the Redstone Collegiate Championships with crosstown-rival Rice on Feb. 22 — before heading to possibly their most marquee tournament of the year the weekend of April 6, when the team heads to Augusta, Ga. to compete in the Insperity Augusta State Invitational. The tournament is played at Augusta National which is the same course that hosts the prestigious Masters Championship.
“Augusta State’s event is always a special event for us,” Dismuke said. “It’s a week before the Masters and we get to attend the practice round for the tournament the following Monday.”
Dismuke knows he has a team that can compete week in and week out. With a team like his, there is no doubt the Cougars are heading back to the postseason in 2013.
“We have some talented guys,” Dismuke said. “But it’s going to take a continued development over the course of the year so that at the end of next May we’re at the NCAA Championships and we’re a competitive program.”
