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| The brand-new Junior Lorentz Golf Center at Oklahoma Christian University, the only collegiate indoor practice facility of its kind in the state of Oklahoma. |
New Beginnings
(March 7th 2016) On a cold, rainy February afternoon in Edmond, about six months after beginning their new lives in the United States, three young college golfers convene to the newly-christened Junior Lorentz Golf Center on the southeast edge of Oklahoma Christian University’s campus to refine their craft, sheltered from the nasty weather which surrounds them outside the indoor practice facility’s walls. The only sounds to be heard are the click of the golf ball flying off the clubface and the Spanish-spoken banter that ensues.
These three young men are Manuel Hernandez, Juan Carlos Pallach, and Alejandro Valenzuela, each of them freshmen and each in their first year as members of Oklahoma Christian’s storied men’s golf program, winners of NAIA National Championships in 2009 and 2011 and currently in their first year of full membership at the NCAA Division II level.
The three came to the United States in the late part of August, each arriving from their homes abroad. Pallach is from the booming metropolis of Mexico City, while Valenzuela calls the town of Cochabamba in the South American country of Bolivia home. Hernandez, called “Manny” by his teammates, hails from Monforte de Lemos, in the northwestern part of Spain situated right above Portugal.
Competitive Drive
They were eager to make a lasting impression on their head coach, David Lynn, and set themselves apart from the four other incoming members of their recruiting class as well as solidify spots in the starting rotation.
Despite the competition amongst them, their new teammates were quick to lend a helping hand with acclimating them to life in the United States.
“My teammates were so good about helping me get used to life here in America and drove me around to take care of things I needed,” Hernandez said.
Making good on Lynn’s investment, all three have enjoyed success at various times in the year.
Hernandez started the year slowly in the fall, but finished tied for fifth place at Oklahoma Christian’s first spring event, the San Antonio Shoot-Out, played February 15th and 16th on both courses at TPC San Antonio.
Valenzuela was the only team member, new or returning, to play in all five of the team’s tournaments in the fall and ended the fall season with a scoring average of 75.71 shots per round, good for third-best on the team.
Pallach, who qualified to play in the 2014 Mexican Open and fired a 59 at his home course in Mexico City just before the new year, has played in three tournaments thus far and registered a top-20 finish at the San Antonio Shoot-Out.
Smart On and Off the Course
Golf, however, is not the only thing that brings this group to Oklahoma Christian. All three are academically driven and very good in the classroom. Valenzuela, who scored a 780 on the Mathematics section of the SAT, is majoring in Mechanical Engineering, Pallach in Medical Laboratory Science, and Hernandez in International Business.
Both Valenzuela and Pallach were named on the President’s List of the Heartland Conference’s academic honor roll. Members of the President’s List earned a 3.5 grade point average or higher in the fall semester.
Pallach in particular is very thankful for his opportunity to play college golf while also working towards his degree, in spite of the hardship he, as well as his two other international teammates, face.
"Not being with my family back home has been the hardest part of coming here,” Pallach said. “But having the opportunity to play golf in college and also get my degree was something I couldn’t pass up because that kind of opportunity is not very common at all in Mexico.”
Brotherhood
The three have all assisted each other in getting better and getting used to their new lives in the United States. All three of them are roommates together on campus and provide each other a sense of familiarity and a taste of what they are missing back home.
“When I came here, it was so hard; I had to really think about what I was going to say (in English) before I said it. The speech of the people speaking English has become slower because I have grown used to it,” Hernandez said. “Having Juan Carlos and Alejandro here with me has really helped ease that transition from home to America. Being able to room with and speak Spanish with them makes life easier.”
Valenzuela couldn’t agree more.
“My American teammates helped me very much to get comfortable and adjust to life when I was first here,” said Valenzuela. “But having Juan Carlos and Manny here just makes me feel a little bit like I am still at home.”
As the men’s golf program strives to improve on their 70th place Division II ranking on golfstat.com after the fall portion of the season and make a move towards the postseason, look for Hernandez, Pallach, and Valenzuela to be chief contributors to the program’s successes both this season and in the years to follow.
You can check on Oklahoma Christian's progress through the rest of the 2015-2016 golf season here.
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