Arizona golfer Filip Jakubcik thankful for 'unbelievable' chapter in Tucson

As for golf? The sport is "trending right now" in Czech Republic (now officially called Czechia), said Arizona senior Filip Jakubcik.

"It's trending right now and let's hope for it to continue," Jakubcik said. "There's a lot of good youngsters."

Jakubcik is one of them. 

The Arizona men's golf star is a three-time first-team all-conference selection for the Wildcats and most recently shared the individual championship at the Marana Regional at The Gallery Golf Club. Jakubcik and UA teammate Zach Pollo were a part of a four-way tie for first place after shooting 15 under. 

Jakubcik and Pollo led the Wildcats to their eighth regional championship as a program. Collectively, Arizona shot 49 under and dominated the Marana Regional. Arizona will compete for a national championship at the NCAA championships from Friday, May 29, to Wednesday, June 3, at Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California.  

"We were a Top 10 team going into this event, and this shows that maybe we're a Top 5 team," Pollo said. "Eight teams make match play, and we're definitely in that eight. We can do it." 

Jakubcik could become the first Czech Republic native to win a national championship at the collegiate level, as the Wildcats look to win their first team national title since 1992. 

Like father, like son

Jakubcik hails from Holesov, Czech Republic, near the Slovakia border. He skied, played soccer and ping-pong, "but golf was always my priority," he said. 

His personal golf coach is Ondrej Trupl, who he's been learning from since he was 5 years old. Trupl was also the swing coach for Jakubcik's father growing up, so Trupl has been around the Jakubcik family for decades. 

"He basically taught me everything," Jakubcik said of Trupl. "The things my dad helps me with, that's coach's teaching. We're practicing through Zoom calls, I send him a lot of videos. I'm not always the most responsible student, but I try to communicate with him once a week or once every two weeks ago depending on the tournament schedule. I had a call with him last week and he definitely helped my swing, so it's been good." 

Jakubcik realized golf was his vehicle to get through life when he was named to the Czech Republic national golf team as a 13-year-old. 

"I always pride myself in practicing, so seeing guys that practice just as much or more than I do, being able to compete with them every day has helped a lot," Jakubcik said. "When I was 14, I started playing big international events, and that's what flipped the switch and showed me that I could compete and get somewhere in golf." 

Jakubcik played in tournaments in Spain, Germany and other parts of Europe, then finished his high school career at Monteverde Academy in Florida. Jakubcik was a highly touted recruit, but committed to the Wildcats due to the weather and the nearly $15 million Bill Clements Golf Center at Tucson Country Club, the Wildcats' home course. The facility, which Jakubcik called "a game-changer," officially opened before Jakubcik's sophomore season at the UA. 

Czech meets Cali

Arizona was expecting an odd number of freshmen to arrive in the fall of 2022, but the odd man out didn't enroll until the spring.

So, Jakubcik and Pollo, a Sacramento-area native, were paired up to room together at Likins Dorm on Highland Avenue on the UA campus. 

"When you put a Northern California kid with a kid from Czech Republic, you don't know if they're going to share a lot in common," said Arizona head coach Jim Anderson. "They always share one thing in common: golf. If we find kids who love the game of golf and want to be great, that's the common language at the beginning." 

Jakubcik and Pollo had different paths to Arizona and experienced different cultures, but their passion for golf bonded them — akin to the moment in the movie "Step Brothers" when Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly's characters hit it off. 

Jakubcik and Pollo — who were both co-champions of the Marana Regional — have been roommates all four years at Arizona.  

"We don't say a whole lot, in a good way, and we push each other and practice," Pollo said. "We're usually the last ones to leave the golf course, so the commitment to golf has been really good. We enjoy being around each other, practicing with each other and pushing each other. ... To be co-champs together is awesome." 

Added Jakubcik: "It's been cool. He's a super cool and fun guy. On the outside, he might seem introverted, but he talks a lot when you get to know him. I've had fun sharing the house with him the last three years and the dorm our freshman year." 

In addition to their success together at Arizona, they've had individual accomplishments over the last four years. Last year, Jakubcik played in The Open Championship in Northern Ireland after winning the European Amateur Championship. A month before The Open, Pollo competed in the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania. 

The team success at Arizona, the experience garnered over the years and individual success has allowed Jakubcik and Pollo to step into leadership roles.  

"We're just setting a good example," Jakubcik said. "If there's one person that I know works just as hard as I do, it's probably (Pollo). The results take care of themselves. We set an example for our teammates, and that's what motivated us." 

Arizona will have to replace Jakubcik and Pollo after this season, but the Wildcats have a strong nucleus expected to return in freshman William Wistrand and sophomore Taishi Moto — who both received All-Big 12 honors this season — and junior Tianyi Xiang. The aforementioned five will likely be Arizona's lineup for the NCAA championships. 

"I have a real special place in my heart for Filip and Zach," Anderson said. "They both came in as freshmen and were highly recruited. They came in from all different parts of the world and got to share a (10-foot-by-10-foot dorm) together and become dear friends, compete together and work hard together. ... They've gone back-and-forth, and it's because they push each other.

"Seeing those two room together and become lifelong friends and pick each other up and be there for the happy times, it's really special to see it play out like that. I'm really proud of both of them and I'm excited they get to experience this one last time. They'll be rooting for each other forever, I know that." 

Confidence in Carlsbad

Jakubcik described his time in Tucson as "unbelievable."

"The weather has been unbelievable, the courses are great and people here are nice," he added. "Obviously the team and the coaches are great. The main reason I came here was the weather, because obviously Czech Republic is cold — you don't get to practice from November to March."

Jakubcik's favorite memories of Tucson are "getting to know the variety of golf courses."

"I don't think people understand how good Tucson actually is for golf, because we get all types of grass," Jakubcik said. "There's a lot of variety and that helps a lot with how you approach golf courses."

This week will be Jakubcik's last hurrah with the Wildcats. Four years after arriving at the UA, Jakubcik has a chance to lead the program to its first national title in over 30 years.

Nerves? Jakubcik gets those out of the way during his practice rounds. 

"All my confidence comes from hard work," he said. "Most guys get confident from good shots, but that's not how I am. If I lead into a tournament knowing I did everything, it doesn't sound the greatest, but I don't care what happens because I know I did everything. Work hard, prepare, and the results will take care of themselves.

"If I don't play well, it just wasn't meant to be and I can't do anything about it. We'll work hard the next week and see what's going on at nationals. That's how I go."