Bryson Worley, University of North Georgia men’s golf head coach, set a goal for the team to reach the Regional championship this season, and believes through offseason training they can meet that goal and possibly surpass it.

UNG men’s golf, which will start the season ranked 19th in the Bushnell Golf Golfweek Preseason Poll, has its first tournament on Sept. 17 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Last season, the team reached a third consecutive NCAA Regional Championship after having the program’s best season.

Worley gave a preview for the 2021 season and detailed offseason preparations, the first tournament of the season, and how COVID-19 has played a part in golf.

What goals do you have for the team going into the season?

Worley: “Any year, our main goal is to win the conference championship and qualify for the NCAA Regionals. For any team that gets in it, ultimately the goal is to win the National Championship. To do that, we have to qualify for regionals and get through there. Obviously, winning a conference championship is really important, which would bring an automatic qualifier for the Regionals.”

How did the team members prepare in the offseason?

Worley: “Golf is so individual, but a lot of them have done a deep dive into what they need to get better at. [They] played a lot of high-level amateur events and continued to work on strength and conditioning. Really just tournament reps and get as much tournament experience as you can, so you’re sharp coming into the season. We start qualifying tomorrow [Tuesday], so we will see who the lineup will be going into Kiawah Island, to start with. I’m looking forward to watching them get into a qualifier.”

Which tournament are you most looking forward to?

Worley: “We have a strong schedule, really. To be honest with you, we haven’t really thought about it. We have just been so focused to go to Kiawah and playing well down there. It’s a good field and obviously a good place to be, so we’re really just focused on that right now. We haven’t really thought anything past that…”

How has COVID-19 affected this season and last?

Worley: “We’re still having to test some. We have some guys vaccinated, and we have to wait until they get cleared for that. If anything over the last year, it’s taught us to be a little more flexible and to roll with the punches a little bit and handle adversity. It taught everybody lots of patience. Fortunately, golf is one of the things that didn’t slow down terribly much during the pandemic. If anything, it increased play across the nation, so that’s been good for us. We’re one of the few sports that got to play last year in the fall. It does have some challenges, maybe not as much as other sports, but we definitely still had our challenges.”