Jason Azzarito feels fortunate to be an influential member of the Gonzaga men's golf team.
"It is a really good program, all the athletics are at Gonzaga," Azzarito said. "The places we get to go and the competition we get play against is just phenomenal. It has been a really nice couple of years and I am definitely lucky to have the opportunity."
Azzarito started golfing in his hometown of Kettle Falls, Wash. There he was a three-sport athlete, excelling in basketball, football and golf. Although his numerous accomplishments and accolades for basketball and football, golf was the sport that defined Azzarito. In his junior year at Kettle Falls High School, he won the Washington State Class A golf title and in his senior year, he finished second. He was named the league MVP, concluding his senior year with four top-10 finishes at the state championship over his high school career.
For the next two years, Azzarito played golf at Community Colleges of Spokane.
Azzarito was named a NWAACC and Eastern Region All-Star and was also team captain and team medalist. Beyond all of the accomplishments at Community Colleges of Spokane, Azzarito remembers the struggles of transitioning to college golf.
"It was tough at first when I came to college," he said. "You don't realize how hard the courses and conditions are sometimes. Some scores that you aren't use to shooting because they are higher than normal aren't really that bad of scores in those kinds of conditions."
Azzarito's next destination on his journey was Gonzaga. Azzarito showed that he could not only compete, but also excel at the Division I level. His top two scores during his junior year were a 72 and 70. He also tied for 24th in the West Coast Conference Championship.
Azzarito and the Bulldogs are finishing up their spring schedule. Azzarito admits the team sputtered at the beginning of the season, but he has been happy with its progress.
"Well, we started off pretty slow. We are a little set back because of the weather, we don't get to practice as much as other teams," Azzarito said. "The first couple tournaments were bad, but we have a really good group of guys and now we are in the swing of things."
Azzarito is one of two seniors on the team, the other being Derek Cheney. Azzarito and Cheney have taken a leadership role in guiding younger players.
"We definitely try and give advice whenever needed, but we don't want to push it on anybody," Azzarito said.
Azzarito believes the team's biggest accomplishment since the fall season is players learning and fine-tuning their mental game.
"We have some good leadership and from the other guys too, like how to hang in there when you aren't playing your best and posting good numbers," Azzarito said.
Azzarito feels his biggest personal accomplishment is adapting to hitting the ball in different weather conditions.
"Hitting a lower trajectory shot for playing in the wind," Azzarito said. "We play these long days and you rarely ever get days where there is not wind. Just learning to hit the ball lower and cope with the wind."
"He has great mental toughness, he knows how to grind it out when things aren't going the right way and he makes some good pars and makes birdies go in when he really needs them," junior Francis Santiago said of his teammate.
The Zags are at a small disadvantage because of Spokane's cold and dreary weather. The weather does not allow the Bulldogs to get outside as often as they would like.
"We hit indoors when we can and that helps with the posture and setup and stuff and hitting it really hard as soon as we can get on the courses," Azzarito said.
Azzarito thinks that team chemistry has helped the Bulldogs develop as a team.
"We have a great group of guys and we like to have a good time," Azzarito said. "We are always pulling for each other and we get along very well and we have a good time traveling and stuff. It makes it less like a job and much more fun."
The Zags finished 12th last weekend at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic in Arizona and are looking forward for conference play April 19-20.
Santiago identified Azzarito and Cheney as true leaders on the Zags team.
"Jason brings a lot of leadership, along with our captain Derrick (Cheney), he is a really hard worker and he inspires a lot of the team to really push themselves," he said.
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!