Samuel (Sam) Pulkrabek, a senior Accounting and Buisness major and Criminology/Criminal Justice minor, from Iowa City, Iowa, is a member of the Buenca Vista University (BVU) Men’s Golf Team.

Pulkrabek always knew he wanted to play golf in high school, but the more he played, the more he fell in love with the sport. “By far, my idol was Tiger Woods growing up, but now I follow quite a few golfers,” Pulkrabek said.

Because of his love and passion for the game, Pulkrabek’s ambition was to continue his sport at the collegiate level. “After my junior year I decided I wanted to try and play golf at the collegiate level. I had it narrowed down to BVU and the University of Nebraska-Omaha and I decided that being on a Lake would be pretty cool,” said Pulkrabek.

Head Coach Brett Benson sees a great deal of leadership and strength in Pulkrabek. “Sam possess great leadership quailities due to his willingness to continue to get better. He has stepped up and filled in for our team and helped develop/work with our younger players. His willingness to help and show teammates what needs to be happen has given our team a step in the right direction,” said Benson.

Along with his ability to lead his team, Pulkrabek feels that he has been given the opportunity to grow as a player throughout his time here at BVU.

“I have definitely grown as a player over my four years being that I’ve become more mature on the course. I also went through having a coaching change with slightly different coaching styles. I feel that I have taken little bits of advice from both coaches and that has helped me become the player I am today. A specific area that I have improved in is putting on the greens,” said Pulkrabek.

As his current coach, Benson thinks that Pulkrabek’s determination and hard work have contributed greatly to his success on the course.

“Sam is always looking to improve. His willingness to play and practice as much as he needs to get his game ready has been a big help. He is also willing to work on weaknesses, and they are subsequently starting to turn into strengths,” adds Benson.

Looking back at his career here, Pulkrabek has had the opportunity to create many memories. One of his favorite memories of all time came during his sophomore year.

“During my spring break trip my sophomore year a couple players went and picked a bunch of lemons and then took close to an hour to cook some of the best lemonade I’ve ever had. However, overall, playing golf for BVU has been a great memory,” reflects Pulkrabek.

As he finishes out his senior year on the golf team, Pulkrabek hopes to reach his goal of averaging in the 70’s.

“Right now my average is a 79.83 with 4 rounds left. Those 4 rounds are also conference so I’m hoping for a big finish.”

Coach Benson has expectations of Pulkrabek as well as he caps off his career.

“I believe Sam and compete in the conference tournament. If he plays his game there is no doubt he will be successful. I am looking for Sam to go out on a positive note as we get ready for our conference tournament,” said Benson, “We are making strides in the right direction. Sam needs to continue to work and good things will happen.”

Pulrabek will look to achieve his goals as the Beavers head to his hometown of Iowa City for the Conference Tournament, beginning April 28.