While the Webster University golf team returned senior Dan Klipsch from an index finger injury in Dubuque, Iowa, it lost a key piece in senior Kyler Scott.
Coach Andrew Belsky removed Scott from play because of a pre-existing rib injury in the Dubuque Fall Invitational on the 12th hole.
“The fact that you can tell that the guy was in a tremendous amount of pain is enough reason to pull him off,” Belsky said. “It’s affecting the way that he plays. I’m looking at his future welfare both here and for the rest of his life, not just that one round of golf.”
Scott said his rib slipped out on his fourth hole of the day. Scott had played through the pain in the St. John’s Fall Invitational in Minnesota on Sept. 15 and 16. He wanted to finish out the fall season, but on Sunday, Sept. 23, Belsky made the decision to sit Scott for the rest of the 2012 season.
“I wanted to keep going, but for the long term — for the season, for the team — I think it was a smart decision,” Scott said. “I was a little upset just because I wanted to keep playing for these guys. I’m out here; we’re a team. I didn’t want to feel like I was letting anybody down. I wasn’t mad or angry. I understood, but at the same time, being a competitor and not being able to compete, it can get to you.”
Scott won the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year for 2012 and shot a tournament-record-low 212 in the SLIAC championship, which placed him first overall. This fall, Scott’s best finish in any tournament was a 10th-place tie in the Culver’s Edgewood Classic on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.
After withdrawing from the tournament in Iowa, Scott supported his teammates from the sidelines.
“This was the first time that I ever really watched from the sidelines at a golf tournament,” Scott said. “I stood there; I encouraged them. I cheered for good shots. I wasn’t really allowed to talk to them, but when I could, there were words of encouragement and I just tried to be there for them, every shot and every step they took.”
In his spare time, Scott will rehab the injury, but he will not be practicing until the fall semester ends. Belsky and Scott both see the spring season as a reasonable estimate for Scott’s return.
“It’s all about getting better for the spring,” Scott said. “ … Hopefully, best-case scenario, rehab for a little bit this fall, then pick the sticks up over Christmas, go to Florida for a couple of weeks and get going. I fully expect to be back in form for the first tournament of the spring.”
To read about how the golf team did in the Dubuque Fall Invitational without Scott, click here.
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