For men’s golf senior Ivan Li, a competitive spirit has always been in him.

In high school, he was on the swim team for all four years. Moving into college though, his initial focus wasn’t on sports.

“I came into Waynesburg freshman year and didn’t really do much,” said Li. “I was a nursing major and didn’t really know anyone here, so I put my head down and started doing some work…After that first year [of college] I needed to do something competitive.”

It wasn’t until a new friend and fellow Waynesburg University golfer Tyler Windsheimer approached him that Li considered joining the golf team.

“Early sophomore year I went to the [simulation] room and that’s when I met [head coach] Sam Jones and he was cool,” said Li. “We had a simulator in the third floor of the gym and so I went and hit a few balls and he welcomed me on.”

During his sophomore year, Li began to practice golf more often, spending 4-5 days a week and two hours per day in the simulation room. His objective was to learn as much as possible about the golf swing.

“I went to the sim room for about a year and a half,” said Li. “And that is how I got to where I am now. I got extensively better because I put in that time.”

Head men’s golf coach Sam Jones watched Li begin to grow and his scores slowly began to get better. In addition to lower rounds, Li became determined to improve his attitude.

“From the time he has joined the team, he has been one of our most dedicated members,” said Jones. “He has spent more hours in the sim room than anyone else on the team and because of that his game has grown immensely.”

As a two-sport coach at Waynesburg, Jones understands Li’s competitive nature and has encouraged it throughout his time on the team.

“As the fiery competitor that he is, early on in his career, one or two bad shots could ruin two or three holes and he would just get angry,” Jones said. “He has really grown on the mental game as much as he has on the skill part of it and that’s really important. Sometimes you have to take the safe shot and a bogey to avoid the triple [bogey].”

In addition to Jones, Li credits the university’s training staff for helping him grow on the course.

“Hard work takes a toll,” Li said. “Golf is a sport that you can play for the rest of your life,” said Li. “I had problems with my elbow and back, but athletic training fixed me up. I was hitting bad shots and they were going to my body. When working on my swing I have to stress the right movement, because if you don’t it will stay with you forever.”

When Li first arrived at Waynesburg, a new friend, Derek McMonagle, helped guide him through those early struggles and has stuck with him to this day, as the two are now roommates.

“He helped me out freshman year when I was going through troubles with not knowing what I wanted to do,” he said. “When I joined the team sophomore year, I would come back and tell him [how I played] and he was one to always keep a cool head and to this day he has been like that. He has been an integral part of not only my golf game but my tenure here.”

Li also became close with Jones and they have developed a player-coach relationship that both have enjoyed.

“[Jones] never stopped believing in me, whether I shot poorly or not, he always knew I would come back and shoot better the next round,” said Li. “He appreciated the time I put in to get where I am now.”
As a coach, Jones believes that the trust and relationship with a player can be the most important.

“The thing I have enjoyed the most about Ivan besides his dedication is getting to know him,” said Jones. “[Ivan] has not been an introverted individual, we have had some good conversations in our van and as a whole and I enjoy that aspect of coaching. He has been a leader in that and when he is willing to open up in deep conversation I think it leads to others being willing to. I just really enjoyed getting to know Ivan as a man.”