Weeks to Success – Freshman resumes remarkable first collegiate campaign

Twenty rounds.

It may seem like a lot of golf to some --- 360 holes, however, in the world of a collegiate competitor, that could be less than three weeks of training for a season.

So, when you realize that's the amount of time it took Morningside University freshman Mason Weeks to go from a top 15 at the fall Siouxland Invitational to standing atop the Great Plains Athletic Conference mountain.

"Wow, you know I never even thought about that," he admitted two days before the 2022 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic Championships. "It's cool to hear that."

Telling his golf story, he admitted the road to those 20 rounds where he played 16 sub-80s and ended in the top 10 three times during 2021-22 was a bit longer.

"I think the first time I picked up a golf club was about age 11," Weeks noted. "I was fortunate to be in a golfing family. My dad played in college, my brother played at Grand View, and my sister plays at the University of Sioux Falls."

"I played in some junior PGA (Professional Golfers of Association) local tour events," she added. "I kept increasing rounds over the summer through junior high and high school."

That work paid big dividends. He and his teammates advanced to the Iowa High School Athletic Association championships twice, placing in the top three both times. It also fostered an ethic of being strong around the greens, which he remarked has been a key to his links resume. 

When his prep career concluded, his collegiate choice was made simple when Morningside showed interest.

"It was an easy transition," he reflected. "I wanted that kind of competitiveness to be around."

"To play with guys like (seniors) Sam (Storey of Surrey, England), Jonny (Douglas of Newcastle upon Tyne, England) and Xan (Milligan of Hexham, England), and (junior) Jackson (Sitzmann of Sioux City, Iowa) is amazing," he added. "I know to play at their level can and usually does lead to being at the top or near the top of the leaderboard."

While he was ecstatic to be tied for league medalist accolades with Storey, there was a slight relief as officials closed out the conference tournament after 54 holes due to weather.

"I'm pretty sure I was one of many who was glad not to have stepped on the course in those windy conditions," he mused. "To be sharing the medalist honor with Sam was amazing."

Adding to an amazing first year of collegiate success --- all accomplished in 20 rounds.