The RoundHouse | 9/17/2018 11:28:00 AM

 
Judd Easterling drew a black line on the whiteboard in the Wichita State golf clubhouse at Willowbend Golf Club. Above the line, he wrote phrases and words such as "On time," "Be coachable," and "Disciplined."
 
Wichita State men's golf needed a reset after the 2018 spring and coach Grier Jones allowed Easterling, his associate head coach to help set the direction. Easterling gathered the team on a Sunday afternoon this summer and locked in the expectations. He borrowed the standards line from Shocker baseball pitching coach Mike Steele and the golfers contributed ideas. 
 
Behavior above the standards line is expected. Below the standards line can trigger consequences for the team. 
 
"No cell phones at practice, no cell phones when . . . we're at the golf course, they're left in the van," Easterling said. "We're trying to create a good environment where they know what we expect. Steele's helped me a lot with – 'Here's who we are.' Going to class. Above a 3.0. Underneath the line is late, bad attitude, not going to class. Everybody's been told. They know what the standard is."
 
The reset is off to a solid start as the Shockers enter their second fall tournament today (Monday) and Tuesday at the Ram Masters Invitational in Fort Collins, Colo. Wichita State won last week's Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational in Huntington, W.V. Redshirt freshman Zac Owens debuted with medalist honors and senior Adrien Michellod tied for third.
 
After the Shockers won the tournament, Easterling texted a team picture with the trophy to Steele. 
 
"We made a standard for Wichita State golf and where we want to be and where we don't need to be," Owens said. "We reflected on some things that happened last year, to make everything better going forward."
 
Owens is one of three freshmen who scored for the Shockers and their performances helped the refresh. Owens sat out last season recovering from left knee surgery. Dawson Lewis finished in a tie for 14th and Brock Polhill tied for 69^th.
 
"That gave us a lot of confidence, because we know we can trust them," Michellod said. "They're really confident. We've seen them in qualifying. We've seen them in practice. They're good. They're here to win."
 
Owens shot a 66 on the first day to move into second place. He shot a second-round 68 to finish with an 8-under-par 134 and win by two strokes.
 
"I've got high expectations for these guys," Easterling said. "They obviously exceeded my expectations. The kid's got a lot of game – putts it well – and hopefully he can continue that."
 
Owens, from Woodward, Okla., finished second in the Kansas Amateur with a 1-up loss to Garden City High School senior Sion Audrain at Firekeeper Golf Course in Mayetta in late July. That performance boosted his confidence after an eight-month layoff following ACL surgery. He also liked his efforts in a U.S. Amateur qualifier.
 
He lost a lead in the Kansas Amateur and used that experience to stay steady in the final holes of the Marshall Invitational.
 
"I hadn't been in that position forever and I actually think that helped me a lot (at Marshall), just being able to cope with that," Owens said. "That helped me more than anything in the long run."
 
Michellod, a senior from Switzerland, recorded a career-best finish with a 137 at Marshall. A back injury limited him over the previous two seasons at Wichita State. He requires a disciplined approach of conditioning and stretching to be at his best and the first tournament is encouraging. He played and practiced regularly over the summer at home, tournaments early and practices over the final two months.
 
"I knew that I had to put some work in and to get back to a good level," he said. "I worked hard and to see it pay off, I think it's very important."
 
The Shockers are on the road early this week in Colorado. On Thursday morning, they will meet at Eck Stadium with Easterling and Steele. Part of Steele's standards line is the "Wheel of Misfortune." When standards aren't met, the team spins the wheel to determine the consequences – sprints, pushups, coach's pick, etc. One of the Shockers, Easterling said, showed up one minute late for the team van on its way to a practice round at Marshall.­­­­
 
"The guys have got to know – this isn't who we are," Easterling said. "Where we need to be is above the line. (Steele's) going to do it all for me. I'll be there. He'll be there. The whole team pays the man."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.