It’s Good To Be King For A Day
By Mike Deak
Staff Writer
WINONA LAKE – Just imagine being along for a ride and all of a sudden you are driving the car. A big, fancy car carrying a lot of clout.
Parker Wilburn found himself driving for show, and drove himself right into an NCCAA Men’s Golf National Championship.
Wilburn, a sophomore golfer from Grace College, was just happy to be competing with his team at the 2021 NCCAA tournament in mid-October. Not the top golfer on his own squad per the averages, Wilburn was a solid complimentary piece but never saw himself as an alpha. That began to change after round one of the three-day championship, Wilburn posting a round of 69, then a 74 a day later to find himself in the conversation. Grace as a team was well behind Asbury and wasn’t going to catch them, but Wilburn had a shot.
As scores on the final day started to come in, Wilburn wasn’t himself feeling like he was putting together rounds that were overwhelming, but just consistent. But his name was still sitting at the top, and things began to get very real, very quickly.
“I thought it was kinda crazy after the first round. More funny than anything,” Wilburn said. “I’m so used to checking the leaderboard and seeing who’s in the lead and being, I guess, intimidated by how good they are. So to know that someone may have been thinking that about me, made me laugh.”
After all the scores were tabulated, Wilburn and Asbury’s Marcos deEzcurra were both tied at 223 and headed to a playoff. After starting his third round five over after four holes, he was one hole from being named a national champion.
“I remember everything,” exclaimed Wilburn. “I felt very relaxed and in control. I knew that I was going to be All-American and I was happy with that. It was still obviously nerve racking because I kept thinking that I may never get this opportunity again. But having control over my golf swing and taking many breaks to look off into the ocean calmed my nerves.”
Wilburn would outduel deEzcurra after a three-hole showdown to take honors as Grace’s first men’s golf champion, part of a big week for the program. Grace’s team finished fourth overall, tying it’s best finish at the NCCAAs.
Wilburn is now attached to an incredible run for Grace College athletics. After winning just two national championships through 2018, Grace has won six team titles since then, including women’s golf in 2019. In 2020, men’s soccer, men’s track and men’s tennis all added team banners for NCCAA championships, and so far in 2021, men’s and women’s cross country and women’s soccer have added NCCAA banners.
Wilburn, who had averaged an 83.3 round average as a freshman, was shooting right at 80 per round as a sophomore before the NCCAAs. His 74.3 average for the tournament was his best tournament score of his career, and the first-day round of 69 was his best score as a Lancer.
“I’ve actually thought about this and I think it’s awesome how well we’ve done as a school,” noted Wilburn. “It’s really cool to say that I’ve been a part of that but really everyone on campus is a huge part of it. I personally have my awesome teammates, I wouldn’t have even been there without their great play, and coach (Denny) Hepler to thank. But it’s really everyone, we’ve created a culture of winning. Hard work, community, and most importantly character has been vital to that success.
“You can really feel God’s work through our school and athletics, I believe it shows.”