Teed Up with UW Men's Golf

With R.J. MANKE and stable of top Husky linksters, 2022 men’s golf team is grooved in and ready to rumble

BY BOB SHERWIN • CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It was serendipity that R.J. Manke, one of the best collegiate golfers in America, decided last spring to enter the portal as a senior graduate transfer from Pepperdine to Washington to play one final season for his hometown Huskies.

UW coach Alan Murray and his Husky players didn’t realize at the time what Manke would bring along with him. Such things as: leadership, motivation, dedication, inspiration, and all those intangibles that tend to benefit a team. “Absolutely,” said Noah Woolsey, a senior from Pleasanton, Calif. “There aren’t enough words to describe what he does for the team. He’s such a good golfer, a good guy and a good teammate.”

“I didn’t know what to expect but he had an incredible fall. He pushed me a lot. I don’t like getting beat. He made me a better golfer.”

Manke was raised in Lakewood, helping Bellarmine Prep win three state golf titles before he spent four seasons at Pepperdine — the 2021 NCAA champion. He always held onto the idea of returning to the state to play at least one season for the Huskies. The transfer portal and an extra COVID season provided the opportunity.

Petr Hruby, of the Czech Republic

SOPHOMORE Teddy Lin

SOPHOMORE Teddy Lin

SOPHOMORE Taehoon Song

Manke took advantage from the start, finishing third in his first tournament as a Husky last September. He then won two of the next four events. His stroke average was 67.40. He moved to No. 1 in the Golfstat collegiate player rankings and ranks 16th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).

“RJ is a great guy, instantly likable,” Murray said. “You see how intelligent he is, how well raised he is. And he’s really passionate about being a Husky.” Manke, Woolsey and junior Petr Hruby, a junior from the Czech Republic, decided to room together this year. From them, the leadership flows. “There have been a lot of eyeballs on him (Manke) and he’s embracing the leadership role. He has a great balance of school and life,” Murray added. “Noah has had an impact as well. It’s been tandem leadership.”

Woolsey came into this season after adding a nice prize to his profile. He won the California Amateur last summer in a grueling seven-round competition (two medal play; five match play).

“I was not playing well last spring going into the summer, but I won the Cal Amateur and really worked hard to get better,” Woolsey said. “From this time a year ago, I feel way more confident and comfortable.”

When Woolsey arrived on campus five years ago in 2017, he admitted “we were bad and not really close. My goal was I wanted to make changes, to have a better culture and a better team. So far, so good.”

It is quite a balanced squad with three seniors, two juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen. Murray, now in his sixth season, said, ‘this is the deepest team I’ve had since I’ve been here.”

The team used January for intra-squad competitions to determine the lineup for a season that opened Jan. 24-26 at the Southwestern Invitational in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Based on the fall results, Manke, Woolsey and Hruby should be the three pillars. Sophomores Teddy Lin of Taiwan and Taehoon Song of South Korea each played in five fall matches, and each had identical 71.40 stroke average but Song twice placed in the top 10.

Noah Woolsey, of Pleasanton, Calif.

Aifdan O’Hagan, from Scotland

Aidan O’Hagan, a freshman from Scotland, also played in five events — with a third-place finish — but was not as consistent, averaging 72.73 through his 15 rounds.

The Huskies, with seven international players on their 11-player roster, will tour the West Coast this spring for prestigious matches against national caliber opponents. After the Southwestern, the Huskies head to Hawaii (Amer Ari) in early February, San Diego (The Lamkin) March 7-8, Eugene (Duck Invitational) March 21-22, Stanford (The Goodwin) March 24-26, and Santa Cruz, Calif., (Western Invitational) April 11-13.

What all the players have circled, however, is the Pac-12 Championships April 25-27 at Aldarra Golf Club in Fall City, Wash. Each conference school hosts the tournament every 12 years and this year it’s Washington’s turn. Aldarra is the Huskies’ home course.

“For the ‘northern’ schools, you hope to build your competitiveness and sharpness as the season progresses,” Murray added. “We really won’t be as sharp in January as we will be by the end of March.”