The Sacred Heart University’s men’s and women’s golf teams participated in the SHU Spring Break Invitational on March 11 and 12 at the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) International Hills Course in Daytona Beach, Fla.
“I was very pleased with the way both teams prepared for the event both in Connecticut and once we were down in Florida” said Head Coach Matthew McGreevy. “They were focused and had a good plan in place to be ready for the event.”
Not only did both teams take home first place, but also sophomores Marcus Lim and Chantal El Chaib won Northeast Conference (NEC) Golfer of the Week. This was the first time El Chaib was named golfer of the week and the third time for Lim.
“Marcus’ excellent play, but also his consistency week to week, has propelled him to achieve this.” said McGreevy. “Chantal’s tireless work ethic prepared her for that victory and she won’t stop until she completes all her goals for this season.”
Lim won the tournament shooting 141 over the two days and helped his team secure first place.
“I was driving the ball well all week and was keeping myself in good places on the fairway for both days which gave me two stress free rounds,” said Lim. “I wish my putting was better both days but I can’t complain.”
El Chaib, who is also a staff writer for The Spectrum, shot a 141 over the two days to win the tournament.
“As this being my first year competing, I am happy with how I performed in the first spring tournament,” said El Chaib. “As courses in Florida are similar to where I play back home in Dubai, I felt more confident and comfortable which helped me play well.”
One valuable lesson that Lim has learned since playing in the Northeast is dealing with a much colder climate than his native country of Malaysia.
“In Malaysia, I never get a chance to play in such tough and demanding conditions as it’s 90 degrees all year,” said Lim. “I think this really strengthens my golf game.”
For El Chaib, the biggest takeaway from playing at a Division I program has been learning to play on a team.
“This has helped me perform well on and off the course,” said El Chaib. “With the guidance of my coach, I have also been able to learn more about competing and practicing as a team.”
Moving forward the men’s and women’s golf teams have three more events this year with the men’s season ending against Yale University and the women’s team finishing at The Hartford Invitational on April 15-16.
“I feel great about this season, we have a young starting lineup,” said Lim. “I think that our biggest competition is ourselves, we need to learn to deal with pressure and big moments because we are such a young team.”
Sacred Heart Athletics contributed to this article.
