May 4, 2010
Bean Biography | Sentinel & Enterprise Link
Pat Bean, a Fitchburg High School graduate, is having a sensational senior season for the UMass Lowell golf team.
The River Hawks are gearing up for the NCAA East-Atlantic Super Regional, which begins today at the Glades Springs Resort in Daniels, W. Va. A top-five finish would launch UMass Lowell to the NCAA Division 2 national championship.
"This will be (Pat's) third year going to the regional championship," UMass Lowell head coach Gary Mucica said. "One of the big things that he brings to the party other than a strong golf game is that he's been there before. There's no substitute for experience.
"Pat's biggest strength is that he's strong and has good distance; and the course we're going to play measures about 7,100 yards, so length is critical. You can't score on that course unless you've got good length, and Pat's got plenty of it. He hits really good irons, and he's very competitive."
The top 10 ranked teams in the region, along with the top four individuals from teams that don't qualify, get invites to the Super Regional tournament. UMass Lowell qualified and enters the tournament seeded seventh, marking the third consecutive year the team has made it, as well as the fifth straight year the River Hawks have been represented.
"I think that our season has been great," Bean said. "With the caliber of our team right now, going into West Virginia, there's no reason why we can't place top five and go to nationals. We just have to play our game."
Bean was the team leader this past fall with an average of 78.33. He has shown steady improvement over the years, posting a 81-stroke average as a sophomore and a 80.33 average as a junior. This year's 78.9 average is third-best on the team.
"(Pat's) learned to manage his way around the golf course rather than overpower it," Mucica said. "There's a tendency of young guys who are as big and strong as Pat is to try and overpower the golf course; and they can do that, but there's times when that doesn't work. Pat uses his strength to his advantage rather than having it get in the way."
Bean posted his first collegiate individual victory in the Louisburg College Hurricane UFO Dispute on March 19 when he shot a three-over 75. Some of the other highlights of this year include shooting a career-low 69 in the second round of the Southern New Hampshire Invitational this past fall, and having a string of three straight top-ten performances leading up to the NCAAs this spring.
"I felt really good winning the (Louisburg Dispute), it showed that I can really compete," Bean said. "I didn't play my best, but I grounded it out and won by two. ... The three tournaments in a row, I had a chance to win them all, but I'll take top 10s and top fives any day."
Balancing the rigors of academics with athletics is tough for any college athlete, but Bean has done particularly well as a marketing and finance major, as he's posted one of the higher grade-point averages on the team.
"I think one of the things that Pat does in a leadership role is getting his academics done while playing golf," Mucica said. "He does a good job of getting his work done, and setting an example by getting to his classes, and scheduling practices around class time."
Bean, a four year letter-winner in golf at Fitchburg High, was the Red Raiders' captain and MVP as a senior and finished in 11th place in the Division 1 state championship. He credits Fitchburg coach Jim O'Leary and a competitive schedule with preparing him for golf at the collegiate level.
"Jim O'Leary was a big factor," Bean said. "He made me change my grip my senior year, and he said if I didn't change my grip, I wouldn't play college golf. I changed it, and now I'm here."
Bean, who chose to join his brother on the UMass Lowell team because of the strength of the program and the fact that his brother Ryan, will be returning next season as a redshirt senior after sitting out his freshman year.
