Having recorded its lowest finish in the fall, the men’s golf team is hoping to become more consistent as a whole when entering the second half of the 2014-15 season. Sacramento State men’s golf finished off the first half of its campaign by placing fifth at the Stockton Invitational.

With the team’s scattered results in the first half of competition, the Hornets said they are using their winter break to zone in and perfect their play until their next tournament Feb. 9 (Barona Collegiate Cup).

The men tallied a fall stroke average of 293.33 in five tournaments played.

Sophomore Aaron Beverly said the team’s confidence continued to improve as the season went on. He is expecting the team to further polish up their game and grow throughout the year.

“We started out really slow but toward the end we have picked it up, so we should have a little more momentum going into the second half,” Beverly said.

Beverly’s plan for the winter break will be to keep practicing on a regular basis and focusing on the areas he wants to improve. Beverly was a redshirt last season but competed in nine out of 11 tournaments in the 2012-13 season. He competed in every spring tournament, averaging 76.20 in 25 rounds and his current stroke average for the 2014-15 season is at 76.0.

“Personally, I want to improve my short game and chipping around the green,” Beverly said.

Senior redshirt Owen Taylor will be using his winter break to continue to focus on his long term goals. Taylor had a successful last year, setting the school record for the men’s season scoring average with 72.23 in 39 rounds and individually qualified for the NCAA Eugene Regional. Taylor also placed first with 204 in the men’s individual 54-Hole low scores in 2013.

Taylor plans to focus on being able to adapt to different environments no matter what the weather.

“Just working on my game and trying to get better at playing in the winter, because you never know what kind of conditions you have to play in,” Taylor said.

To keep up his competitive game, Taylor will be competing in a couple of individual tournaments over break in Southern California. As of now, Taylor is focusing on long-term goals and making his passion into his career. He has had the opportunity to speak with many professional players in the past and continues to soak in their information and translate it onto the field.

“Being very good from about 125 yards and in is crucial,” Taylor said.

This year, he is focusing on his long term goals of becoming a professional golfer and will continue to strengthen himself as he competes next season.

Sophomore Robert Parden said he felt his fall play could have gone better. However, he wants to learn from his fall season and carry those improvements into his spring season. Parden competed in 11 of the 12 tournaments last year as a true freshman, averaging 75.03 strokes per round and placed in four top 20 finishes.

“I feel that I didn’t get everything that I could have out of my rounds,” Parden said.

When it comes to maintaining skill over winter break, Parden said he will be keeping his same practice routine. His goal is to achieve the school’s lowest scoring record this year. This season he has recorded a stoke average of 73.0 at the break.

Beverly said a personal goal for himself is to win a tournament, but he wants his team to take first place as well.

“A goal for the team is to get a win this season,” Beverly said.