Hutch CC golfer Ben Partridge indicators to play golf at San Francisco

Ben Partridge traveled far from home to play golf at Hutchinson Community College.

A native of London, England, Partridge was recruited by the Blue Dragons head coach Chris Young and decided to join the Hutchinson men’s golf team. Since then, he has outdone himself a lot and led the team to a national NJCAA championship.

Partridge was also the NJCAA Individual Champion and decided to sign and sign a letter of intent to play golf at the University of San Francisco.

Partridge was named a Jack Nicklaus Award winner for the spring golf season and also received many awards for being the first team in the junior college world. Now he’s excited to take the next step in his golf career and join the West Coast program.

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“I got on really well with the guys on the team and also with the coach,” said Partridge. “I can imagine that I get more benefit from San Francisco than the other schools I’ve spoken to. So I’m looking forward to it.”

San Francisco is the nation’s 29th golf program in the NCAA Div. I national rankings. The university also ranks 14th in the nation for enrolling international students, according to the US News and World Report.

Young said he and his program were fortunate to have players getting through Hutchinson and switching to NCAA programs, like Charlie Crockett, who went to the University of Missouri and Lake Leroux in Wichita State and Eastern Kentucky.

“Hopefully we can take this in the right direction,” said Young. “We have seven kids in the top 90 (national ranking). I don’t think we’ve ever done that before.”

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Partridge was attending TCU, UTEP, and San Francisco when deciding which college to go to, so choosing San Francisco for more than just golf.

“When I got there, it reminded me a lot of home, a lot of London,” said Partridge. “I’m really looking forward to spending time in my home country. This business administration course, this business administration course, is unbelievable, and the academic side, I think, is important for me after golf. After golf, it is business administration, and of course having a good degree is an advantage . “

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Unlike his last engagement (later to Hutch), Partridge took his time with the process. In early September, Partridge said he visited San Francisco and had plenty of time between that Monday and last Monday to consider and weigh up his options before ultimately settling on the West Coast school.

With the confidence to take the next level, Partridge believes this will help him do better at tournaments this coming spring for the golf season. He said the spring tournaments would help him land on the right foot and defend his national title as well.

The ambition and goal is to go pro, Partridge said. That’s another reason he chose San Francisco because it will give him a chance to potentially get a foot in the door of the PGA Tour. ”

Partridge attended Hutchinson Community College in 2019 and signed his letter of intent to attend college. His first golf season had to wait due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the wait has been worth it after such a dominant spring season.

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“My second year really went by in a flash,” said Partridge. “I didn’t think it would go away so quickly. We are almost at the end of the fall semester. Another semester here. I’ve put a lot of work into it and I’m looking forward to it. “

Billy Watson has been a sports reporter for The Hutchinson News since March 2021. You can reach him at wwatson@gannett.com or send a direct message on Twitter @hutchsports or @ billywatson4l.