Mitchell native Eric Hieb has been selected to compete as an individual golfer for Augustana in the Central/West Regional golf tournament Monday through Wednesday in Litchfield Park, Ariz.
Hieb is a senior and is in his last season as a golfer with the Vikings. He is the first individual from Augustana to be selected as an individual since 2007-08, when Matt Pridley and Aaron Hieb -- Eric's older brother -- were selected for the Northwest/West Regional.
For regions, Hieb was selected individually since his team did not qualify.
"I thought I was going to get selected as a sophomore and I didn't, so that was kind of disappointing," Hieb said. "But getting selected this year, being my last year and all, is really exciting."
To qualify for the national tournament, a team needs to place in the top five. Also, the top two individuals not associated with the top-five teams are entered. The national tournament runs May 15-19 in Simpsonville, Ky.
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One of the highlights of his season included a fourth-place finish at this year's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship, earning him all-tournament team honors. He leads his team with a 75.8 stroke average and has three top-10 tournament finishes in 2011-12. This season, his best round has been a 70. Hieb said his favorite part about golf is being outside on the course, whether it's just for practice or in a competition.
In his last collegiate golfing season, Hieb has been taking instruction from a new coach.
Steve Klock is in his first year with the Augustana men's golf team, but he quickly learned how lucky he was to have a player like Hieb on his team.
"He's our leading scorer and it's a pleasure coaching him," Klock said. "You can always count on him and trust him to lead us and depend on him to do well. He's a hard worker and a really good, competitive player."
Hieb said he works on the mental aspect of golf and tries to fine tune his skills during practice.
"I work on course management and placement out on the range," Hieb said. "I try and make sure I'm improving my swing, and that I'm fine tuning every shot."
Klock said Hieb is one of the most consistent players he has and he's always looking to improve.
"He's a fundamentally sound player, and he always works at all aspects of the game," Klock said. "He's got a great shot."
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Klock said they weren't sure whether Hieb was going to be selected to play in the tournament or not, but he's thankful that he was so he could have an opportunity to coach him at the regional tournament.
"Eric is a consistent competitor and he's very level headed," Klock said. "I know he can compete well at regionals and go on and compete well at the national level as well."
