Johnnie golf looks to return to national tournament

This past weekend, the St. John’s golf team participated in the 2023 MIAC Championship. The team placed second behind Bethel University after the three-day tournament and the team shot seven-over par on the par 295 course, 13 shots behind Bethel.

SJU senior Nate Loxtercamp, who shot six-over par, looks to improve after last weekend’s results.

“We can improve by continuing to do what we have been doing. Golf is a funny game where some days are better than others, but I think if we keep to our practice process we will do well,” Loxtercamp said via email.

Loxtercamp is one of three Johnnies, joined by Andrew Boemer and Sam Berger, who earned an All-MIAC Honor at the tournament. SJU junior Andrew Boemer is thrilled about the start of St. John’s season.

“We have had a very good year to start; the results just haven’t backed it up. We currently have the lowest team scoring average in school history, so there is no questioning that this team is special. It has been a fun fall with the guys, but obviously winning the MIAC would’ve made it even better,” Boemer said via email.

In its four tournaments this year, St. John’s has shot four-over par, two-under par, 22-over par and six-over par. Loxtercamp has great optimism for the season due to improvement across the team.

“I think the season has been going great for both the team as a whole and each of us individually. We have some guys improving and playing high quality golf,” Loxtercamp said.

Boemer looks to reset and focus on each shot individually.

“I think we can improve by trying to eliminate mental errors while we’re playing and keep everything in front of us by having a ‘next-shot’ mentality. I think that just helps us focus on what we can control and stay in the present while we’re out playing,” Boemer said.

Loxtercamp attributes the team’s success to their sense of community through the team’s atmosphere.

“Individual success happens when you play for your teammates,” Loxtercamp said.

Boemer says that building a team atmosphere nurtures players and brings the best out of each of them.

“Creating a good team atmosphere allows us all to be at our best at the same time, which is what we need to reach the highest level we can as a group,” Boemer said.

This St. John’s team atmosphere has led the team to six straight National Tournament appearances and two National Championships in 2007 and 2008. The team has high aspirations again this year.

Loxtercamp believes that they are just as good or better than any team they will play against.

“Our goal is to get the at-large bid and win the national championship. I’ve been to the national championship three times, and our team is just as good as any team we will play against,” Loxtercamp said.

Boemer also has faith in the St. John’s team that they will be in the National Tournament once again this year.

“Our main goal is to play our way into a bid for the national championships in May. We have two events down south in the coming weeks that we need to be prepared for so we can go out and play our best and showcase our ability as a team,” Boemer said.

Despite their challenges in the past couple tournaments, the team looks as strong as ever. The next two tournaments are outside of Minnesota. The first event, the Golfweek Fall Invitational, takes place Sunday, Oct. 15 through Tuesday, Oct. 17 in Destin, Fla. The second event, the NCAA Division III Preview, takes place Sunday, Oct. 29 through Tuesday, Oct. 31.