Last year, Eric Yarrows found himself staring at a small white ball, buried in the sand. It was the last hole in the first match of the season for boys varsity golf, and Yarrows was, as golfers put it, “legged in a bunker.” Yarrows squared his shoulders, took his club back and swung. The senior smiled as he remembered how the ball not only got up and out of the bunker, but how that match ended with a score of 36.
That moment came back to mind on Friday, when Yarrows sat down in the Reed Campus Center to sign National Letter of Intent to compete on the NCAA Division II men’s golf team at Florida Southern College. After six years at The Williston Northampton School, Yarrows said he had learned quite a bit from such “buried in sand” moments.
“Be patient in your own life, work hard, and stay focused,” he said. “It’s amazing what you can achieve in life.”
Yarrows inked the agreement to attend Florida Southern as part of the Class of 2017 in Grubbs Gallery. The letter indicates that other schools may no longer recruit Yarrows. Also at the ceremony were Director of College Counseling Tim Cheney, Yarrows’ parents, and friends.
The Easthampton, Massachusetts native was described by Cheney as “a very strong player” who could be ready to start on golf mini-tour circuit soon.
Yarrows, who plays with a one-or two- stroke handicap, depending on the course, said he was drawn to the beautiful campus at Florida Southern and the business program there, as well as access to area golf courses, and friendliness of Head Coach Doug Gordin.
“He was nice and knew the players really well,” Yarrows said. “It’s good to have a coach who’s that close to the players.”
Yarrow is the first Williston senior this academic year to sign a National Letter of Intent. Last year, five seniors signed letters to attend The Ohio State University (women’s lacrosse), Michigan State University (women’s soccer), Pennsylvania State University (women’s ice hockey), Stanford University (men’s gymnastics), and The College of St. Rose (baseball).
Florida Southern College is located in Lakeland, Florida. The men’s golf team closed out the fall season with a No. 7 ranking in the latest Golf World/Nike Golf Division II Coaches’ Poll. The Moccasins, or Mocs, were also fourth in the Golfstat Division II rankings.