It’s been an up-and-down golf season for the Clan, but for Michael Belle, there have definitely been more of the former. For the second time this season, Belle was named the GNAC golfer of the week.
The honours come after he finished seventh in the Concordia Classic in Washington last week; his three-round score of 224 was just eight over par. It wasn’t an easy task, however, as mother nature did her best to slow the golfer down.
“The course was in pretty rough shape, thanks to a lot of rain and snow,” said Belle after the tournament. “Luckily, they did a good job to keep the greens in great shape. It was important to be patient and stay dry. Luckily, [head coach John Buchanan] prepared us for the conditions the previous week in practice, and worked on specifics to be ready to compete.”
The second-year Burnaby native is currently ranked eighth in the GNAC with a 74.5 stroke average, but is well within reach of the conference leaders. Three Western Washington golfers top the charts, with Nick Varelia leading the trio with a 73.2 average. Whatever intangibles they have to get themselves to the top, Belle is working his way there.
“I’ve been working harder on the mental aspect of the game this year, as opposed to just developing my physical abilities,” said Belle. “I’m not necessarily hitting better, but I’m preparing better.”
And whatever he’s doing, it’s working. He’s planted himself firmly at the top of the Clan’s roster, but he’ll need to keep improving with the GNAC championships looming.
“I’m looking forward to [the GNAC championships],” he said. “The goal is obviously to try and win the tournament, but I’d also like to compete for the conference scoring lead since I’m just one stroke behind the leader now.”
It’s a necessary confidence coming from Belle, but he also knows what he needs to work on in order to improve and reach his goal at the top. And, with his second GNAC honour of the season, he’s well on his way there.
