Men's Golf 4/28/2020 3:07:00 PM

Senior Spotlight: Jeffrey Inouye-Wong and Evan Peterson

Twice weekly we will highlight spring sport senior athletes on their careers at Saint Mary's.

Two members of the golf team who have been around longer than most are Jeffrey Inouye-Wong and Evan Peterson. The redshirt seniors caught up with us in today's edition of Senior Spotlight.

Inouye-Wong, who is out of Roseville, Calif., discussed the early shock of the news that the season had been canceled and having to depart the program he had spent the last five years with. "I loved my team. Everyone had close relationships with one another and would support each other throughout the season. It was a great group of guys to be around. I will miss being with my teammates every day the most."

Peterson, another California native out of Clovis, shared the same feelings about this year's squad and discussed the competitive nature of his teammates.

"This year was great. We are an extremely competitive group of guys who are committed to getting better to improve our lineup," said Peterson. "This year was definitely different than my past four because everybody felt like they had a shot at being in our starting five. When it comes to qualifying we are a serious group of guys but off the course we get along well and try to have a good time. I know I've definitely made friendships with this group of guys that will last my whole lifetime."

Peterson was having his best season yet and posted his first ever top-10 finish this season by placing t-6th at the Saint Mary's Invitational in Pebble Beach. He also ended up tied for 12th in the team's previous tourney at the Alister Mackenzie in Fairfax to help the Gaels grab third place. He had a great anecdote about one of his favorite memories while at Saint Mary's that came this year at Poppy Hills Golf Course in the SMC Invite.

"Our assistant coach Jeremy Niederstadt was standing on the back of the tee block to help us through the last tee shot of the tournament and he saw me walking up and said, 'What are you doing with that in your hand?' referring to my driver. To which I replied, 'Coach, this is the last time I'm ever going to play this hole as a Gael and I've never hit 3-wood here in my life. I want to make a birdie.' I remember it well, Jeremy said, 'Alright, well you better hit the fairway then...and how 'bout an eagle?' Well, I hit a solid drive up the left center of the fairway getting kind of close to the bunker that we were trying to avoid and then I hit one of the greatest 5-irons of my life from 201 yards to about two feet and made the putt for eagle."

Poppy Hills, where head coach Scott Hardy has been hosting the always-competitive Saint Mary's Invitational for each of the past five seasons, was also cited by Inouye-Wong as one of his highlights while donning the Gaels' uniform.

"My two favorite moments in college were competing in the US Amateur in 2017 and our yearly trips to our home tournament at Poppy Hills," said Inouye-Wong. "The US Amateur is a tournament I dreamed of playing since I was young and being able to compete in such a prestigious tournament was an honor. Poppy Hills was always a great time. Our whole team made the trip and it was fun to be with friends, family and SMC supporters at the event."

While Peterson and Inouye-Wong have been contributors to the Gaels' legacy of success and five straight trips to the NCAA Regionals, they are equally dedicated to their studies.

"My greatest accomplishment at SMC was graduating," said Inouye-Wong. "Being able to succeed in school and play athletics was a challenge but I was able to complete my degree which I am proud of. I am currently continuing my studies to earn my MBA and actively looking for a job to support myself."

"I started a masters program back in October and that is something that I am committed to finishing whether I get to play an extra year or not," added Peterson.

The seniors concluded the interview by both saying, "golf will always be a part of my life" moving forward and the pair will compete in amateur tournaments in their future free time.

Be sure to check in on Thursday for another edition of Senior Spotlight!

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Players Mentioned

Jeffrey Inouye-Wong: 5' 10"; Redshirt Senior

Evan Peterson: 5' 9"; Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

Jeffrey Inouye-Wong
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Senior

Evan Peterson
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Senior