Captain Joep Mokkink Finishes Top 10 In Carmichael Cup

By Imy Nixon

LINDSBORG- Bethany golf has a storied history of success. With over fifteen conference titles in a thirty year span, and over 20 all-americans since 1994. With all that though, there’s a certain pressure to succeed that falls onto all of the current players.

But for the captain it’s different.

When Joep Mokkink was appointed team captain on Aug. 23 he was extremely excited to have received such a high honor. But with that honor he knew he had big shoes to fill; and he was confident and is still confident that he has the right hard working mentality to help get himself, and the team to their lofty goals of a national’s appearance.

“ My mentality as the captain is simple” he says “If I give everything I have each and every day it sets the standard higher for everybody else because as the captain I set the bar.”

The captain took that strong mentality into the team’s annual host tournament last week on his way to a strong top ten finish, with rounds of 78-70-67.

When asked how he thought played, Joep seemed very pleased with the way he finished the tournament.

“I didn’t start off too well the first round...but then I found something in my swing and in my putting. Got some birdies rolling, got some confidence, then it felt pretty easy from there.”

However, despite the strong individual finish to the tournament Joep still wasn’t completely satisfied with the team finishing in third place.

“Golf is weird because it’s an individual sport but a team sport as well. So if I do win a tournament I’m happy for me but if the team still doesn’t do well it still doesn’t mean much. Especially since we have a lot of high goals we want to accomplish this year.”

The lofty goals are warranted according, and national rankings. In the preseason poll for NAIA Bethany was unanimously picked to be in the top 25 and finished with an overall ranking of 24 in the nation.

“The main goal for this year is absolutely getting to nationals” Mokkink says “we have a strong conference but our team is absolutely stacked right now.”

Bethany is in the KCAC (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) and will have to win the conference outright to get to nationals. Joep thinks with the right team environment they can get it done.

“To get there we just need to use our deep team to our advantage by competing against each other in practice and in qualifying because that will keep us sharp and focused throughout the season and all the way up to nationals.”

You can keep track of Joep and the entire men’s golf team’s journey throughout the season by looking at past tournament scores and live scoring on golfstat.com. Make sure to stay tuned for live scores at their upcoming tournament hosted by rival Kansas Wesleyan at Salina Country Club on Sept. 27-28.