Editor’s Note: An updated version of this article appeared in our May print issue to include the PAC-12 results. Oregon State University men’s golf finished seventh at the PAC-12 tournament on April 26-28, lower than the team had hoped and finishing out their season. Senior Jackson Lake finished 23 over par placing him tied for 57th place.
Jackson Lake shared his goal of closing out his career at Oregon State University with an individual tournament win at a team retreat early in the season, according to OSU Men’s Golf Coach Jon Reehoorn.
And that he did. Lake secured an individual victory at the Seattle Redhawk Invitational at Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, Washington April 1-2.
Lake shot a tournament-best 17 birdies and finished 12 under par through 54 holes of golf. His impressive performance earned him Pac-12 golfer of the week, the first honor of his career coming in his last season.
The rest of his team didn’t leave empty-handed as the Beavers finished 25 under par and brought home their first tournament win since the Oregon State Invitational on Oct. 9-10.
“I learned a lot about myself and my game, and how to play under pressure,” Lake said. “I applied it all to the (Seattle Redhawk) tournament and it all worked.”
Lake struggled to close out tournaments in the past, so a weight was lifted off his shoulders as he was able to bring it home for himself and the team.
In the tournaments leading up to the Redhawk Invitational, Lake felt his confidence dwindle. He shot one over par 71 at Stanford and 14 over par 71 at Oregon.
“If I’m winning as an individual that means I’m doing my part helping the team,” Lake said.
Growing up Lake played baseball. His dad took him to the driving range as a kid but he was unfamiliar with the actual sport of golf until age 13.
However, as soon as he picked up his clubs to play a game of golf, he jumped straight into junior tournaments and competitions.
“It was really hard at first, which is probably why I loved it so much,” Lake said. “I was good at everything growing up, I was never really challenged until I found golf.”
Lake’s work ethic comes naturally to him. In high school, he graduated with a 4.2 Grade Point Average and was awarded valedictorian of Clovis High School class of 2019.
The unpredictability of golf posed a new challenge for Lake, something he was unfamiliar with.
“He was valedictorian of his high school and obviously a great golfer, so he’s super highly motivated but he can be a bit too tough on himself sometimes,” Reehoorn said.
Lake’s strong-willed and driven personality interfered with his mental game. He found himself struggling to accept results, causing his game to shift.
“I just get in my own way sometimes,” Lake said. “I work really hard and kind of work myself into the ground.”
After COVID-19 marked a disappointing end to Lake’s freshman year, where he made a push to be in the lineup on an already stacked golf team, Lake felt stagnant the following two seasons.
Oregon State fell short at regionals in 2021 and lost a lot of returning players, calling for a rebuild in 2022 and 2023.
For Lake, this was a chance to step up and become a leader. He carried the influence of the older golfers from his freshman and sophomore seasons through the remainder of his college career.
“When I first got here, I was open to integrating myself into this group no matter how they were,” Lake said. “Obviously, I got lucky and it was an amazing group of guys. It definitely changed the person I was.”
There was apparent recognition of Lake’s transformation. Coach Reehoorn knew Lake was always a quiet kid, but over the five years he coached him, Reehoorn watched Jackson develop into a team leader.
“Jackson is not a vocal leader, but he has pushed himself to be more vocal this year,” Reehoorn said. “He definitely is a guy who leads by example and has been an awesome role model for the younger guys on the team.”
As the oldest player on the team, Lake wanted to be a guide for the younger players, especially as they look to make a push to win the Pac-12 tournament on April 26-28.
The Pac-12 has five teams sitting among the top 25, making it one of the most challenging divisions in National Collegiate Athletic Association golf.
“I have no doubt that we can go out and win the Pac-12 tournament,” Lake said. “If we finish fourth, that means we did something good, giving us a lot of confidence going into regionals.”
Jackson Lake looks to lead Oregon State Men’s Golf to their first Pac-12 championship on April 26-28 at the Desert Forest Golf Course in Scottsdale, Arizona.