St. John's University Athletics
Beirne's Success Well-Deserved
4/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
April 22, 2010
QUEENS, N.Y. - On April 20, Evan Beirne had one of the best finishes of his career, tying for second place at the 2010 BIG EAST Championship at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club (Palm Harbor, Fla.).
The Red Storm co-captain's strong showing at the conference tournament was a tribute to his hard work after transferring to St. John's two years ago from Southern Methodist University and battling back from foot surgery.
Beirne transferred to St. John's in 2007 after his freshman year at SMU. He felt right at home with his new teammates who helped him make the adjustment to playing at the next level.
"Everybody was just very welcoming, they're all good guys," Beirne said. "I think the biggest thing was the team helped me adapt to college golf."
In December of 2008, Beirne underwent surgery to correct a coalition in his right foot that had been causing him pain throughout that fall season. He missed the following spring's golf tournaments to recover and sitting on the sidelines was difficult for him.
"I knew it was getting better and it was something that I had to stay positive with," Beirne said.
Beirne bounced back with a strong 2009-10 season. This past fall, he had sixth place finishes at The McLaughlin and the Philadelphia Big 5 Invitational. His second-round 66 at The McLaughlin was one of the best single rounds in St. John's history. In the spring, the STJ co-captain posted five top-25 showings in six events, including his tie for second place at the BIG EAST Championship.
"Evan has been a great player for us," St John's men's head golf coach Frank Darby said. "He has played well after transferring here from SMU and after recovering from foot surgery. I look for him to continue to be a key player for us during his time at St. John's."
Competitively golfing since the age of eight, Beirne accumulated many golf accomplishments prior to his St. John's career. He reached the finals of the National Drive Chip and Putt and finished third. He won the New England Juniors in 2004, and made it to the finals of the Connecticut State Juniors, the Connecticut State Amateur and the U.S. Juniors. Beirne found immediate success in his first season with the Red Storm, winning the Princeton Invitational in the spring of 2008.
"When I started playing golf, I became pretty competitive," Beirne said. "Having success at an early age helped me enjoy the game and I felt like I needed to work harder to keep that edge. I was a natural at the game and my accomplishments came from hard work."
Beirne has enjoyed being a student-athlete at St. John's, balancing the workload on the golf course and in the classroom.
"It's been fun," he said. "It's very busy a lot of the time, especially during the season. During the fall and spring we're traveling, we're practicing every day and balancing that with school can be difficult at times. But we usually do a pretty good job at managing our time."
Beirne doesn't have to look far for inspiration as a golfer. Former teammate Keegan Bradley and STJ alum Andrew Svoboda are now playing golf on the PGA Nationwide Tour. Their success has given Beirne some ideas about where golf could take him in the future.
"I definitely want to pursue golf after school and see what I could do," he said. "I think I owe it to myself after playing for over 15 years. I'd like to give it a shot and see what happens."
