The Bradsher Beat Thursday, May 8, 2014 By Bethany Bradsher

Conover blazed unexpected trail to ECU

By Bethany Bradsher
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As a freshman entering N.C. State in 2011, Wes Conover was a former high school baseball player who loved golf. In fact, he chose to attend NCSU in part because he wanted to major in PGA Golf Management there. But he didn’t envision himself as a Division I college golfer.

PGM majors, who are aiming for careers as pros at golf courses, play golf every day. It wasn’t long before Conover realized his game was progressing significantly. At the amateur tournaments in which he competed during the summer after his freshman year, he defeated some collegiate golfers.

Just like that, a door seemed to open in his mind.

“I started to think that I was good enough to play college golf,” he said. “I just decided to try.”

Conover mailed letters to a handful of colleges in North Carolina, all smaller schools than East Carolina. He had just about decided to sign with Western Carolina when a series of events led him to Press McPhaul and the ECU program.

McPhaul had been following Conover’s progress, and when he realized there was mutual interest he offered to help convert this Wolfpacker into a Pirate.

“The kid started to realize that he was better than he thought he was,” McPhaul said. “We were really fortunate to get him here.”

Conover had completed two years of studies at N.C. State when he arrived in Greenville last fall, but athletically he entered as a sophomore. There was an adjustment period as he found his footing on a new campus, with a more intense level of competition. But judging from the award presented by Conference USA on Tuesday, the transition was more than worth the trouble.

The league office announced that Conover was the 2014 recipient of the C-USA Newcomer-of-the-Year award. A two-time Golfer-of-the-Week winner this spring, he was the first member of the ECU team to win the newcomer award.

The most notable season highlights reflected in the honor were Conover's ninth place finish at the Sea Best Invitational in February for his first top ten finish and his individual championship at the River Landing Intercollegiate in 2014. He concluded the season with the second-lowest scoring average on the team (74.29), second only to senior Eric Brady (73.49).

“Coming in, my goal was just to make the team that traveled to the tournaments,” Conover said. “I did that before the first one in the fall, and soon I realized that I was good enough to really play against these teams.”

A competitive turning point for Conover came at Sea Best, where he shot a 5-under 67 in the final round to break into the top ten and help the Pirates to a seventh place finish. That tournament provided an infusion of confidence that carried him through the spring and culminated in the River Landing title on April 12.

Two of the most consistent Pirates this season — Conover and Brady — are ex-baseball players. McPhaul is convinced that there is a connection between the two sports, especially when it comes to the mental side of golf. In baseball, an outstanding batting average is akin to a 40 percent success rate, so baseball players can face an errant shot with a different perspective.

“They don’t expect everything to go right,” McPhaul said. “.400 is awesome, and if they get on base 60 percent of the time that’s unbelievable. They’re used to disappointment, having to wait two innings to have another chance."

After a season of staying on the bubble regarding NCAA regional qualification, the Pirates were disappointed with an eighth place finish at the C-USA Tournament that put an end to their team’s season, although Brady will compete in the regionals as an individual.

Conover’s surge this spring is one of many reasons for optimism as the squad looks to next year. And another bright spot, one of McPhaul’s talented freshman recruits, is another Conover -- Wes’s younger brother Tim.

“I can’t wait until next year,” Wes Conover said. “I love East Carolina, and I love my teammates, and I'm so thankful to Coach for giving me an opportunity to play here.”

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PAGE UPDATED 05/08/14 01:38 AM.