Peoria Standard

After a low point last fall, Bradley’s Michael Mounce hit some new lows recently – but that’s a good thing.

The sophomore golfer was named the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Golfer of the Week for his performance at the Bradley Spring Break Invitational after leading the team to a first-place finish. He shot a one-over-par 71 in three straight rounds to set a new personal record and finished with a tournament-best 213.

Mounce helped the team to its lowest round (278), lowest 54-hole score in program history (858) and an overall 41-stroke victory in the event.

It was a nice turnaround for Mounce.

"He has played very well since he didn't have a great fall last year, and he really committed himself to getting better," Bradley head coach Jeff Roche told the Peoria Standard. "He was working hard all fall, but it just wasn't showing in the results. But he really just committed to trusting in himself after the fall season and playing the way that he's capable of."

Among other things, Roche has been working with Mounce on his shot development and increasing his birdie count.

"One of the big things that he's really brought back into his game is just the ability to play within himself and not try to be more than he's capable of," Roche said. "He's got that ability to shoot low numbers, and the first day that we played down there, we had 20 mph winds and it was in the mid-50s. Where a lot of other people were making mistakes, he just played steady golf and took advantage when he had the opportunities and minimized his mistakes."

In addition to his success on the golf course, Mounce carries a 4.0 grade point average and has shown maturity and leadership through his commitment to his teammates and coach.

"He's a phenomenal individual -- just a great heart as far as a person goes,” Roche said. "But he's also very committed and determined to developing himself to be the best he can. We set out some goals, and he's committing to making sure he's up at 6 o’clock every morning and staying committed to eating right, working out and just being the best individual that he can. He's been a great asset to our team, and he's a great friend as well as a great teammate."