SAN FRANCISCO – Though they entered the 2021-22 season as the defending Pacific West Conference Champions, Academy of Art men's golf began the year with just two members of the championship squad that included 2021 All-PacWest First Team honoree junior Matthew Watkins. Combining with three incoming freshmen, the Urban Knights embarked upon a year that provided many learning opportunities for the young team to grow, something that first year ART U Head Coach Deven DeLuca knew would be on the horizon.

"Feeling very fortunate to have Matt Watkins on the team to mentor the young guys both on and off the golf course," DeLuca said. "We had such a great time on the road as a team, always in search of a satisfying team meal after a long day on the course. The big challenge for our team this season was having most of the team being freshman, who each experienced their own learning curve transitioning from junior golf to the collegiate level of competition."

It was a gradual start to the Fall portion of the season for the Urban Knights as they took 11th place as a team while at the Sonoma State Invitational on Sept. 13-14, though ART U did post its best round on the tournament's final day with a a 22-over-par 302.

Things truly picked up for the Knights the following time on the links at the Wildcat Classic on Oct. 11-12, as despite tough conditions at The Links at Rolling Hills in Corning, Watkins helped Academy of Art to a third-place finish out of 10 squads when he captured the second tournament victory of his career with a final combined score 2-over-par 146. It would be the best finish of the season for both Watkins and the Knights, and for his efforts Watkins was named the PacWest Golfer of the Week on Oct. 13. 

"​That was a wild week out in Corning," DeLuca said. "The wind gusts were upwards of 35 miles per hour that week, so controlling your golf ball was at a premium. Finishing third really gave us the confidence we were looking for as a team full of new players. Matt's win that week will go down in the record books of the West Region. Thriving in adverse course conditions, grinding over every single shot as if it were his last, he came out on top by one shot with a birdie on the last hole."

The Fall season ended on Oct. 18-19 when ART U participated in the Otter Invitational, and though the Knights were hanging in the middle of the pack at the suspension of the first round due to darkness, Academy of Art ended the action in 14th place. Rolling over into the Spring, Watkins took home his second top-20 finish of the year when he tied for 20th place at the Bay Area Invitational on Feb. 21-22 with a final combined score of 7-over-par 223. 

Though the Knights tied for 12th as a unit while at the NNU Poppy Ridge Invitational on Mar. 7-8, freshman Anson Pan claimed his best finish of his debut season when he tied for 12th place by carding a final combined score of 3-over-par 147. Two weeks later, ART U was led by Watkins once again while at the Tim Tierney Pioneer Shootout where he tied for 37th place, with the Knights closing the action in 16th. 

With only two tournaments remaining before the conference tournament, Academy of Art ended the month on Mar. 30-31 at the Hanny Stanislaus Invitational, finishing the tournament in 15th place while Watkins also placed 15th. It was the third top-20 finish of the year for Watkins, though he was initially in sixth place after the opening two rounds. Freshman Giulio Zanichelli was the top ART U finisher in the final tournament of the regular season at the RJGA Palm Valley Classic, tying for 45th place with a combined score of 5-over-par 221 while the Knights were 16th as a squad. 

Aiming to defend ART U's first PacWest title in men's golf history, the Knights would come up short in their quest as they placed fifth, but still saw one of their own recognized for his performance. Taking home seventh place as an individual at 8-over-par 224 was Watkins, which earned him a spot on the PacWest All-Tournament Team for the third time in his career. Also posting the best finish of his Academy of Art career was freshman Jack DeBenedetti, as he tied for 13th place 13-over-par 229 with a total of 35 par saves during the event, which was second-most in the tournament field. After the season had concluded, Watkins earned postseason honors from the conference when he was named to the All-PacWest Second Team, the fourth time in his career to earn such an award. 

"This season absolutely flew by, but hey time flies when you're having fun, which we sure had a lot of," DeLuca said. "This year was all about growing the team, learning what playing and coaching means at the collegiate level. We are all looking forward to putting the work in this off season as the guys enjoy their summer break. We will have set team and individual goals for next season. All there is to do now is to create the plan and get to work."