“I don’t hit it far, but I hit it straight. That’s the best part of my game for sure — ball-striking,” he said.
“I’m trying to gain distance and (clubhead) speed. But I’d rather be in the fairway 260 yards out than in the rough or trees.”
His emphasis on hitting fairways and greens paid off at the Horizon League tournament last week. He went 73-70-69 to finish in a tie for first at 4-under, then beat Purdue Fort Wayne’s Kasey Lilly in a two-hole playoff for the win.
Though the team fell short with a five-stroke loss to PFW, Goecke automatically qualified for the NCAA regionals May 15-17. He’ll find out his destination at 1 p.m. Wednesday on the Golf Channel selection show.
A total of 81 teams and 45 individuals will play at six regional sites (the closest to Wright State is East Lansing, Mich.). Five teams advance to the nationals from each locale along with the player who posts the lowest score outside of the top-five teams.
Raider senior Mikkel Mathiesen, who won the league a year ago and finished tied for fourth this season, also likely locked down a spot in the regionals based on the NCAA’s criteria of the Golfstat.com rankings.
Mathiesen was rated 172nd as of April 23, while Goecke was 141st.
Oakland’s Thomas Giroux, the 2021 league champ, earned an NCAA spot last year as the 210th-ranked player nationally.
“It was a good week personally. Unfortunately, we didn’t get it done as a team,” Goecke said. “But I’m excited to continue. After last year at the regionals, we have some unfinished business.”
Goecke’s four-year run surpasses any in program history. He’s had seven tourney wins and a career average of 71.3.
Frank Lickliter, who played for the Raiders from 1989-91 and went on to win twice on the PGA Tour, is the current record-holder for players with multiple seasons at 74.0.
Goecke also has the two best season averages at Wright State: 70.36 this year and 70.47 in 2021-22.
“He’s a great player. He’s got a great mind,” second-year coach Conner Lash said. “I’m proud of him. The university is proud of him. His teammates are proud of him. He’s played at a really high level.”
The Raiders’ long knockers can learn something from Goecke, who qualified twice for the state tourney at Carroll with a top finish of seventh. His ability to plot his way around the course has led to uncanny consistency.
In 108 career rounds, he’s had 29 scores in the 60s while shooting 75 or higher only 13 times.
“My swing coach from a young age has always been big on that — staying out of trouble, doing nothing fancy, taking care of business,” Goecke said of John Wilkinson, who has worked with many prominent local golfers.
“I’m glad I’m in a position where the team can rely on me. I always feel I’m going to put a good round together.”
He did just that in the NCAA regionals last year, shooting 73-70-70 to tie for 12th at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course.
And while Giroux grabbed the lone individual ticket to the nationals with a three-round score of 210, Goecke was right behind at 213.
He’s especially motivated after the team’s defeat, which has been hard for him to shake.
The Raiders shot 13-under 851 last year — one off the tourney record — at the El Campeon course in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., to win by 10. But they stumbled to an 11-over 875 at the same venue this year.
“Now that we’re not there as a team, it’s ‘go and play as well as you can.’ You’re only playing for yourself. It’s more of a summer tournament feel,” Goecke said.
Though the individual competition will be daunting, he believes he has what it takes to be the lone survivor and reach the nationals.
“I know I can do that. I’ve proven I can play with the best guys in the country,” he said.
“There will be a lot of good schools there, but I’m ready to face the challenge.”
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