Lansing Sun

Michigan State University's men's golf team has seen a year of growth and learning for its two freshmen, Lorenzo Pinili and Lucas Acevedo. The pair joined the team in 2023, stepping into a lineup filled with experienced upperclassmen.

Pinili, who played high school golf at Brother Rice in Detroit, participated in all 13 events this season with a scoring average of 74.35. Reflecting on his transition to college-level competition, he said: "In high school, I was never at the bottom of the leaderboard. Then I jump into college, and I immediately took last." He added that adjusting to college golf requires patience as "it's a totally different game."

Acevedo, who hails from Porter Gaud High School in Daniel Island, S.C., competed in three events this season. He described his journey to becoming an elite golfer as unconventional: "Golf is just really unorthodox...I taught myself how to play." He started playing golf only during his freshman year of high school after transitioning from tennis.

The mental challenges of collegiate golf have been significant for both players. Pinili shared that while initially difficult to hear feedback from coaches about his potential and performance, it ultimately instilled confidence in him. Acevedo echoed similar sentiments about personal growth through experience: "They really helped me understand the fact that you should really see each tournament as an individual opportunity."

Despite early struggles during the fall season, the Spartans turned their performance around by springtime. They achieved top-five finishes in six consecutive events and secured fourth place at the Big Ten Championships.

Both freshmen contributed significantly during NCAA Regionals when they played pivotal roles following an injury to teammate Drew Hackett. Their performances helped Michigan State qualify for regionals for the seventh time in eight years.

Reflecting on their progress throughout this challenging first year together with teammates' support has been rewarding according to Acevedo: "We slowly gained momentum...We came together really well after a pretty rough fall."