EAST GREENSBORO –  North Carolina A&T men's golf has completed its first set of qualifying rounds, and the 2022-23 season is already exciting.

A&T's five-man lineup for the opening tournament includes two veterans in junior Anthony Ford, Jr. (A.J.) and graduate Diego Gonzalez. It will also include two newcomers in Sandhills Community College transfer Carson Witherspoon (Morganton, N.C.) and freshman Drew Walker (Advance, N.C.). Martin Gutierrez (Madrid, Spain), who played his first season as an Aggies last season, rounds out the opening five for the season. 

From the beginning of the program in 2017, head coach Richard Watkins has always chosen the players for A&T's upcoming tournament through qualifying on the course in practice. But despite sticking to his routine, Watkins sees the 2022-23 season as a new venture. The qualifying round last Friday came down to a nine-hole playoff between Witherspoon and Eastern Wyoming transfer Conardo Chozas. 

"The thing that will catch my eye this year is not who we are taking to tournaments, but who we are leaving behind," said Watkins. "We will be in a situation this year where we will have some excellent players not qualify. It is a good situation to have. We had scores during qualifying that would have easily qualified three years ago that didn't make it this time, so I'm excited to see the competition to get to the competition." 

The Aggies will open the 2022-23 season Monday, Sept. 12, at the VCU Shootout hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University at the par-72, 6,927-yard The Country Club of Richmond Tuckahoe Creek golf course in Richmond, Va. 

The teams scheduled to compete along with A&T are VCU, James Madison, William & Mary, Richmond, Old Dominion, Radford, St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island, Georgetown, George Washington, Drexel, Charleston Southern and Elon. 

It will be an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start on Monday as the teams are scheduled to play 36 holes before playing 18 holes on Tuesday with another 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. 

The Aggies return five golfers from last season. In addition to Gonzalez, Ford and Gutierrez, the Aggies return senior Xavier Williams and sophomore J.R. Smith. Gonzalez and Williams have been strong mainstays within the program. 

Gonzalez had a career season in 2021-22. He played in nine tournaments last season, where he placed 1,870 strokes on his card throughout the season over 25 rounds for an average score of 74.8. Gonzalez won the UMES Collegiate Golf Challenge and tied for fourth at the Elon Phoenix Invitational after shooting an 8-under 205. During the Elon tournament, he shot a single-round program record 66, which earned him Big South Conference men's golfer of the week honors. He also won the weekly award after the UMES tournament. 

Williams also won men's golfer of the week honors from the Big South last season after finishing tied for first in regulation at the HBCU Division I Invitational, becoming the first men's golfer in program history to win a weekly conference honor. Williams played 25 rounds last season and totaled 1,879 strokes for an average score of 75.16. Williams has played 73 1/2 rounds in his career for an average score of 76.3. 

"It's always important when you're able to retain two things, leadership and good teammates. Those things are important," said Watkins. "When those qualities are attached to people like it is with Xavier and Diego, you have two great examples for others to follow." 

Gutierrez averaged 78.84 over 25 rounds played. Meanwhile, Ford has continually improved since he arrived in AggieLand. After posting an average score of 83 over 12 rounds played as a freshman, Ford played 25 rounds last season and lowered his average to 77.16. 

"A.J. came back strong and qualified easily," said Watkins. "When your returning players come back better, and you're able to bring in additional quality players, you're moving in the right direction." 

Then there is Smith, who came to A&T with an incredible story of being a 36-year-old freshman who played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won two NBA titles. His presence certainly sparked a lot of national media interest in the Aggies men's golf program and the university at large.  

The team had moments with the famous collegiate golfer, photographers, and videographers surrounding them at tournaments. There was even an instance when a media member walked on the fairway to interview Smith. But for Watkins and the team, it is about what happens during those practice rounds and the tournaments. During his freshman season, Smith played in 12 rounds over four tournaments and had an average score of 85.58. 

"I love to play golf. I love the game of golf, so I know what that looks like," said Watkins. "I can say this about J.R.; he absolutely loves the game and wants to play any chance he gets. He's struggling as a collegiate golfer right now, but he is working his butt off trying to produce good numbers. All of our guys are. That's how they get to compete in tournaments."