April 13, 2009

THE ERKENBECK FILE
Who: Lobo freshman James Erkenbeck
Honors: 2009 John Burns medalist; MWC Golfer of Month
Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
High school: Torry Pines High (San Diego)
Born: August 26, 1989
Parents: Jim Erkenbeck & Shauna Buffington


By Richard Stevens -- Senior Writer/GoLobos.com

The "two-sides-to-every-story" rule of journalism really hits home when it comes to telling the story of how New Mexico freshman James Erkenbeck came to be a Lobo golfer.

First, you have Erkenbeck' recollection. Then you have Lobo coach Glen Millican's revision. Erkenbeck might prefer Millican's version. The coach's tale presents a scenario where a young and promising golfer was actively pursued by a college golf coach.

Erkenbeck's version makes it sound like an accidental encounter - a product of blind luck meets happenstance. Or maybe two old coaches shooting the breeze.

"Coach Mil (Millican) came to walk with Tommy Armour (ex-Lobo/PGA pro Tommy Armour III) and watch his (Armour's) son play," said Erkenbeck. "Coach was just hanging out with Tommy Armour. I just happened to be there."

Not so, says Millican. The Lobo coach says Armour just happened to be there.

"James was a guy I had on my list that I wanted to watch," said Millican. "I was going toward James' group and I saw a guy, who looked a lot like Tommy Armour. When I got closer, I saw it was Tommy.

"Tommy mentioned his son was about to tee off. I didn't even know Tommy had a son playing golf. I had never heard that. I was planning to walk with that group and watch James and I just ended up walking and visiting with Tommy. Tommy had some nice things to say about James' game."

Of course, Millican liked what he saw, too, and the communications began. Erkenbeck said Millican's early interest was a key reason Erkenbeck decided to become a Lobo.

"New Mexico was really the first to show interest in me," said Erkenbeck. "Before, I had been getting some letters that just said something like, `Dear golfer.' Then I got one from UNM that had my name on it. That had a lot to do with me coming here."

Erkenbeck also said he liked what Millican had to say about New Mexico golf, things like: 1- a UNM golf course; 2- private practice facility; 3- access to top-notch area courses; 4-state-of-the-art swing center; 5- nationally ranked program; 6- great weather.

The weather thing was and is important to Erkenbeck. He has a reputation as being a dawn-to-dusk golfer.

"James has a lot of potential," said Millican. "But what makes me think he could go a long way is how hard he works. He loves to practice and he is there til dark almost every day. He doesn't like it when he can't practice."

Now, if you think this is just a lot of coach-speak, consider this: Erkenbeck can tell you the one day this school year when the weather was so bad that he didn't practice. "It was December 17," said Erkenbeck, a San Diego product. "I've really been happy with the weather here. I was expecting it to be a lot worse. I thought there would be a lot more snow."

Erkenbeck said he likes the thin Albuquerque air, which allows the golf ball to carry. He also likes the wind. "After one semester playing here, I feel it's to my advantage when the wind blows," he said.

The unpredictability of New Mexico weather (Easter snow!) can give golfers a challenge and Erkenbeck has gotten used to some of those obstacles. But he also comes from the land of ocean and beaches, so the location of his best outing as a Lobo probably comes as no surprise - Wahiawa, Hawaii.

The way Erkenbeck finished the Johns Burns Intercollegiate on Feb. 20 was more of a surprise. He didn't exactly look like a freshman, who had switched his emphasis from soccer to golf less than four years earlier.

You might expect a college rookie challenging for medalist honors in a Hawaii tournament to be looking for his golf ball in the ocean. Erkenbeck was looking in the hole.

"I wasn't really thinking about winning," said Erkenbeck. "There were no leader boards, but there were some rumors on the course that the leader had broken a club, so ... It was a little surprising to finish on top because I hadn't done anything special and I didn't think I had played all that well to win."

Of course, it's been established by now that Erkenbeck isn't too keen on some of the finer points when reflecting back on big moments in his golf career. Like being chased by Lobos. Like winning his first collegiate tournament.

Erkenbeck shot a 7-under-par 65 to roar from eighth place into first place and finished the final three holes with two birdies and a 10-foot putt for par. He also made four birdies in a row on holes 8-to-11. Not that special?

"Sometimes there is more pressure to finish off a round when everything is going good than it is when it's going bad," said Millican. "James can be pretty focused for a freshman. He is pretty hard on himself, but not in a bad way. He doesn't beat himself up, but has high expectations."

Editor's Note: Richard Stevens is a former Associate Sports Editor and sports columnist for The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net. Previous GoLobo.com articles can be found on The Richard Stevens Corner.