Photos courtesy of the University of Montana – Former St. Bernard’s standout Allison Sobol talks strategy with Montana coach Kris Nord.

On and off the golf course, Allison Sobol has enjoyed the transition this year from high school to college life.

It’s certainly been different, attending the University of Montana and taking her golf game from the Humboldt-Del Norte League to the NCAA Division-I level, but the former St. Bernard’s standout appears to be adjusting just fine.

“There’s a lot of snow,” she said with a laugh. “It’s been crazy. We’re indoors for the last month.”

The Grizzlies are on a winter break from the NCAA golf season, and Sobol and her teammates haven’t been getting in many rounds in Montana recently, but they will be back in action in two weeks, kickstarting the second half of the season at a tournament in Riverside, CA.

And through the first half of her first season playing at the collegiate level, Sobol’s transition has been almost seamless.

Almost.

“It was weird,” she said of the initial adjustment to the collegiate game, which includes 36 holes on the first day of competition, followed by 18 on a second day. “To play two rounds of 18 in one day. I’ve played two rounds before, but it was different. It was fun though.”

If there was much of an adjustment — from a mental standpoint more than a physical one — it wasn’t evident in her play.

The four-time H-DNL champ has been one of the Grizzlies’ top performers thus far, with a third-best average (79.09) on the team.

“She’s done a good job of fighting her way to the top of our lineup,” Montana head coach Kris Nord said of the 2018 St. Bernard’s grad.

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Consistent performances

Sobol has also been one of the team’s most consistent performers.

“We went to four tournaments, and she qualified for all four of them,” Nord said. “She played really well. She’s one of our top three performers coming out of the fall.”

What has perhaps impressed most about Sobol is how quickly she has adapted to the mental challenges of the college game, quickly transitioning to the 36-hole days.

“Golf is such a mental game, and I think one of the things I’m most proud of, is I stayed pretty steady and consistent for the most part through the long days,” she said. 

Seven of her 11 rounds in the fall were in the 70s, including a pair of 74s.

“She’s really jumped right in with her golf game,” Nord said.

The former St. Bernard’s star, who left quite a legacy at the school, did manage to get in some all-important time on the golf course during her recent winter break from school.

“I got to go back home and I got in some trips with my dad down south to play,” she said.

As for the second half of the season, Sobol is looking for continued improvement, and to maintain the consistency she displayed in the fall.

“I want to do better on the first day, the 36-hole days,” she explained. “Be more consistent and get both rounds in the 70s.”

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Ray Hamill writes at humboldtsports.com, where you can read lots more about sports in Humboldt County.