Basketball, football, baseball -- teams in many sports often win back-to-back games, but in an individual sport such as golf? It's rarely accomplished.
Last year, senior Auburn golfer Dominic Bozzelli charted his first two collegiate golf victories after winning the U.S. Collegiate and the Gator Invitational in consecutive tournaments, becoming the first golfer in Auburn history to do so.
This year, he has continued his solid ball striking in the early stages of his senior season.
Originally from Pittsford, N.Y., Bozzelli has a hard time finding time to tune up his game in the winter months.
"I always go down to Florida with my swing coach for a week at the end of December," Bozzelli said. "I had a productive week down there this year and got my game in good shape for the start of the season."
Bozzelli originally signed his letter of intent with the University of Central Florida and head coach Nick Clinard. However, when Clinard decided to take the job at Auburn, Bozzelli followed. He lost a year of eligibility with his transfer, but things seem to be working out just fine for Bozzelli and the Tigers now.
"(Bozzelli) is a totally different person and player than when he arrived here roughly four years ago," said coach Nick Clinard. "He's bigger, stronger, faster, more athletic and has also matured a lot in the classroom and outside of golf."
The Tigers traveled to Hawaii in early February for their first tournament of the spring, and Bozzelli wasted no time in starting the season off right. He shot 11-under-par for the weekend and won the Amer Ari Invitational by five strokes. The senior All-American was later named SEC Men's Golfer of the Week for his performance.
Bozzelli earned another top-3 finish in the Samford Intercollegiate March 5, as he shot 3-under for the weekend and finished tied for second.
"Dom and I have become pretty close over the past few years," said senior teammate Michael Hebert. "We both like to compete, and I have seen that competitiveness bring out the best of us. And that goes for the majority of the team."
Not only has Bozzelli had recent individual success, but the team has continued to climb the rankings as of late. The Tigers won their previous two tournaments at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate and the Samford Intercollegiate before finishing third at the Tiger Invitational.
"We think that we are good enough to win the rest of the way," Hebert said. "If we could finish out the season with five straight wins that would be great going into the SEC tournament, and we all know we can do well and compete there again this year."
For the future, Bozzelli hopes to end the season on a good note, graduate in December and continue to play golf at the highest level for a career.
"He's a very competitive young man," Clinard said. "I think he's got a great chance at making the tour if he continues on the track that he has progressed on for the last two and a half years."
For more information on Auburn men's golf, follow the Twitter handle @AUMensGolf or like the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AUMensGolf.
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