Junior debuts for Lopes golf 2 years after college struggles
By: Paul Coro
It was barely more than two years ago that Reece Nilsen was on the verge of giving up golf and college.
Nilsen admittedly spiraled in his first year at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana, giving more attention to partying than studying and practicing. It put Nilsen in a position where he had to cram a semester of studying for a math class into a finals week to pass and remain eligible.
In the meantime, Nilsen contacted an Army recruiter with the intent of enlisting in January 2018 if he did not pull his grade up.
Nilsen lifted his grades and his standards, progressing to a spot on the NAIA All-America third team and a transfer to Grand Canyon to play Division I golf.
It took a fall semester of his best academics, a 3.5 grade point average, and most dedicated golf improvement to open the spring semester in the Lopes lineup with four seniors for the Orange
Reece Nilsen
County Collegiate Classic next week in Coto de Caza, California.
"Everybody in life hits a low point," said Nilsen, a junior. "When you hit that point, you either quit or you grind and persevere to get better. I persevered and I'm way better now than I ever was. I thank God every day that I didn't quit golf because I wouldn't be here if I gave up. It's a miracle that I'm here."
After a baseball injury, Nilsen began playing competitive golf as a sophomore at Catalina Foothills High School in Tucson, Arizona. He progressed rapidly but only drew junior college and walk-on interest except for Rocky, a private school of less than 1,000 students with a golf season limited by weather.
Nilsen's priorities hooked quickly. He compounded bad grades and bad golf by skipping classes and emphasizing his social life.
As he informed his parents of his perilous situation at the end of the semester, his father started applying Nilsen for fast-food jobs in Tucson. He focused so much on passing one class that his other classes' final exams suffered and he retook some of those classes at GCU last fall to improve the grades.
"I paid for me being dumb," Nilsen said. "I'm glad and I'm blessed that I'm here but I had to pay for my mistakes. I learned from my mistakes and I'm never going to make them again."
Nilsen was close to his Rocky coach, Aaron Pohle, but desired a higher challenge in golf after posting a scoring average of 73.19 as a sophomore and competing well against Division I golfers in summer events.
He emailed 40 programs and two responded. His hometown favorite, Arizona, replied but ultimately did not offer a spot. GCU head coach Mark Mueller did with stipulations about improving his academics in the fall before he could play. It helped that Lopes assistant Clayton Sikorski was a former head coach at Ottawa to know the NAIA scene.
"Reece did way better than he even thought he could do in the fall," Mueller said. "He really, really applied himself. He's anxious and ready to go to see what he can do at the next stage of his career. He's done everything we asked of him in school and has had a great attitude. He really loves the game of golf."
With great driving ability, Nilsen's passion showed with the ability to make the first GCU spring lineup with a focused senior group of Jake Chanen, Trevor Lampson, T.J. Nolan and Michael Salazar.
Nilsen has responded well to higher standards on and off the course and has a deeper appreciation for everything from GCU's student-athlete academic assistance to being a program that equips them in PXG clubs and Nike gear.
The sports management major's scholarship came at a time that helped his family be able to keep him in college. His trials before arriving at GCU have made him a more resilient person.
Nilsen's mental golf game has fortified because a bogey seems so inconsequential to times where his life sliced out of bounds.
"I've gone through a lot of things in my life off the course that have made me a better golfer and a better person," Nilsen said. "When I get off to a bad start, I'm way more mentally strong. If I'm 5 or 6 under par or 5 or 6 over par, I'm going to have the same emotion. I know what I'm capable of and I know I can get myself out of tough situations.
"I'm blessed. GCU has given me an opportunity where I realize that more than ever."
