St. Edward grad Winters continues to flourish at Valpo

St. Edward graduate Eric Winters is having a senior season to remember on the golf course this fall.

Winters, now playing at Valparaiso University, recently was named Horizon League golfer of the week based his performance at the Firestone Invitational held in Akron, Ohio. Winters finished seventh in that tournament with rounds of 73, 71 and 73 on a golf course considered one of the premier tracks in the Midwest.

Through mid-October, Winters was averaging 72.36 for 18 holes and had two Top 5 and three Top 10 finishes to his credit. For his career, Winters is averaging 76.86 for 18 holes.

"Eric has been so steady for our team this entire fall season," Valparaiso coach David Gring said during the Firestone event. "He continues to manage the golf course well and his short game has been terrific."

Gring added these words of praise after the tournament: "Eric continues to play at a very consistent level for us this fall and I couldn't be more happy for him with yet another quality performance. As one of our team captains this year he is demonstrating great leadership for us."

Winters said an improvement in his mental approach has paid dividends for him this fall.

"I'm a little more focused out there," he said. "In the past, if I was struggling my mind would wander off. I've learned from that. It's cliché, but I take it one shot at a time and that's very important. I'm conscious of my mental approach. You hear guys on the PGA Tour talk about it all the time, so I took it to heart. If I had a couple bad shots in the past, my mind would start to drift and that could mean not having a good round. As I've matured, I've analyzed my weaknesses to see what I need to improve."

Winters said he's learned plenty from other players at Valparaiso over the last four years.

"I've been lucky. In my time at Valpo we've had a lot of good players," he said. "I watched what they were doing right and compared it to what I was doing. That really helped."

A well-rounded game this fall has led to Winters recording plenty of low scored.

"I try to keep a well-balanced game," he said. "I'm probably playing my best golf because I'm driving the ball well and keeping the ball in play. When I'm at my best, I'm getting off the tee in play and avoiding penalties and big holes. Right now, I'm driving the ball real well and I'm hitting my wedges really well. My wedge game is working and that bodes well because I'm making birdies and putting better. I made a few tweaks to my game and got back to fundamentals. I like the way I'm rolling putts now."

Winters was pleased with how his second round at Firestone went. He shot 1-under during that middle round.

"The conditions were tough," he said. "It rained for nine holes and it was windy. I was proud of how I battled through the conditions and posted a solid round for the team."

Winters noted he's been fortunate this season to play at some of the top golf courses in the Midwest.

"We've played some great courses, especially this year," he said. "We started the season at Whistling Straits and then got to play at Firestone. We've played some top courses, which makes it easier to play well."

Winters, a dean's list honoree at Valparaiso, is studying finance.

"Grades are very important to me," he said. "I'm realizing I probably won't be able to go pro in golf, so it's definitely important that I am well-rounded."

Winters also had the opportunity earlier in his Valparaiso career to play with his brother, Brad, who graduated in 2013 and now works in the financial industry.

"I got to play with him for two years," said Winters. "It was a lot of fun. It reminded me of high school. I only got to play with him a year in high school, but I got two here because he redshirted a year. "

While Winters is enjoying a stellar senior season, he said the progress the team has made carries more weight for him.

"I'm probably the most proud of the way the program has been built the past few years," he said. "When I came in here it was the third year of the program's existence. Sophomore year we won the conference title and played in the NCAAs. Looking back I want to say I helped leave the program in better shape than I found it and it looks like I've helped accomplish that. When I came in here we were ranked in the 200s and we were able to get into the Top 100 and remain in the 100s, which is solid for a small school such as ours. I'm looking forward to seeing how the program does in the future."

Moore earns honor: Elgin High graduate Dennis Moore recently earned a weekly UW-Whitewater Walmart athlete of the week honor.

Moore was cited for excellence after leading the Warhawks' rushing attack with career highs in carries (14) and yards (94) in the team's 37-0 win over UW-Stout. Moore ran for 86 yards after halftime and his game-high 23-yard-run helped set up a field goal in the third quarter.

Off at College wants your help: Send information and/or statistics on Fox Valley-area athletes playing collegiately to Mike Miazga at difibulator@aol.com.