One of the greatest careers in the history of Barton College golf began with a casual conversation over a neighborhood fence.
“Ben Bridgers was the first big recruit we were able to bring into the program, although nobody knew it except us,” his Barton head coach, John Hackney, recounts. “Ben was an exceptional player at a very small school, so he kind of flew under the radar.
“But his uncle Frank lived next door to my parents in Raleigh, and that’s how I found out about him. They were just talking out in the yard one day, and Frank told my dad, ‘Hey, my nephew’s a pretty good player.’”
Recruiting leads from friends and acquaintances rarely work out, but Hackney found this one to be legitimate.
“I ended up going to watch Ben play in the state championships down in Pinehurst,” Hackney said. “He hit the ball well, but he made virtually every putt he looked at inside 15 feet, and I thought, if you can make putts like that, you can play.”
Bridgers could indeed play, which he proved in his very first tournament with the Bulldogs.
“In my first match, we played Old North State at Uwharrie Point, and I played pretty well in the first round, shooting 73,” Bridgers said. “The team also played pretty well, and we were in the final group (for round two) with (University of North) Carolina and Barry. We won the tournament, and I shot 67 in the final round and won individually. That was pretty special.”
That win would be the start of a very special season for both Bridgers and Barton.
“His finish propelled us to one of the school’s very first big victories in the (NCAA) Division II era,” Hackney said. “That was a pretty awesome way for him to begin his career. He had a fantastic freshman year, probably one of the best freshman years in school history,” Hackney said. “Ben ended up being an all-conference player and Freshman of the Year in the league.”
Although Barton had enjoyed outstanding play for many years before Bridgers arrived, his addition helped push the Bulldogs to new heights. His freshman season culminated in Barton’s first appearance ever in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional.
The Bulldogs made their way to Howie-in-the-Hills, Fla., where they would also join teams from the South Region on the El Campeon course at Mission Inn Resort. At that time, the South Region was Division II’s superpower in golf, home to 14 of the previous 15 national champions.
“We were probably a little overwhelmed going down there just because we had never been there before,” Bridgers said. “I remember riding on the bus with Florida Southern (which had won four of the previous five national titles) and just thinking, ‘man, these guys are good!’ I did not play very well that week at all, unfortunately, but it was a good experience for us. Just remembering that, we wanted to make sure we went back every year.”
Bridgers and his teammates were certainly able to accomplish that goal, starting a streak of consecutive NCAA regional appearances that reached 14 years before ending last season.
“It’s kind of hard to believe that it went on that long,” Bridgers said. “Getting (teammate and fellow 2014 Barton Hall of Fame inductee) Courtney (Faircloth) was huge in that. Yea, I was part of starting the streak, but he carried it on. It allowed us to get better players and coach was able to motivate them. It’s pretty special when you look back at it.”
Together, Bridgers and Faircloth led Barton to another huge program milestone in Ben’s senior season, an Atlantic Region title and a trip to the NCAA Division II nationals.
“That was an awesome week,” Bridgers said. “We played the Crosswater Course at Sunriver Resort. I remember the first meeting we had that season and coach gave us a little brochure on the national championship tournament at Crosswater. We wondered what coach was doing, but he said, ‘this is where we’re going, guys.’ It was cool that we were able to make it.
“It came down to Jonathan Woodall, who was a freshman at the time, having to make par on 18 at regionals for us to go. He made it, and we won the Atlantic Regional against some really good teams. Being able to make nationals for the first time was really special. Courtney and I were hugging, saying ‘this is why we came here.’ But you don’t fully realize what it means until later.”
“That was just an unbelievable trip that we took with five guys from within an hour’s drive of campus clear across the continent to Oregon to represent Barton in the national championship,” Hackney added. “It was the start of something big for the program, and Ben had as big a hand in that as anyone.”
Although his career included four trips to regionals, the school’s first trip to nationals and a pair of personal all-conference awards, Bridgers says he most cherishes the time with his teammates.
“Riding in the van, I made a lot of great friends,” Bridgers said. “I still keep in touch with most of the guys, which has been great.”
That doesn’t surprise Hackney at all.
“Ben was just a great guy and an outstanding team player,” Hackney said. “He enjoyed the whole team concept of golf and was a lot of fun on team trips. He’s one of those guys who got every nickel out of his college experience. He really enjoyed it to the fullest.”
Hackney said that while Bridgers was an outstanding golfer for the Bulldogs, his Hall of Fame impact on the program extended well beyond the course.
“Ben was a very consistent player for four years,” he said. “But probably one of the greatest things about Ben is he has an awesome personality. When people meet him, they remember him. In a subtle way, he was a great recruiter for Barton, because he represented Barton so well, and allowed us the opportunity to gain some interest from other players, particularly those in eastern North Carolina who knew Ben.”
Today, Bridgers continues to represent Barton well in his role as the director of golf for one of the nation’s most prestigious facilities, Pinehurst Resort.
“He was a building block for our program, and now has one of the preeminent jobs in the country in the golf industry,” Hackney said. “That’s certainly a feather in his cap and it’s good for Barton College and everyone involved.
“I think he’s also been a Young Alumnus of the Year at Barton. Ben’s just a fantastic ambassador for Barton and he always has been. He has this captivating personality, and that’s the kind of person you want out there saying, ‘I got my degree and I played golf at Barton College.’ He’s just a great guy.”
