TUCSON, Ariz. – Whether you're a weekend warrior on the golf course or an elite professional golfer, belief is a driving force to success. The life and times of Arizona Men's Golf senior Chase Sienkiewicz punctuates that power of belief. Even when he couldn't see himself as a college golfer, he always doubled down on being confident in himself.

"In high school when I was playing basketball and golf, I was not good enough to play college golf," Sienkiewicz reflected. "I can say that matter of fact now that I look back. I think Coach Jim Anderson would even probably agree with me on that."

Sienkiewicz was a sophomore at Jesuit High School in Sacramento, California when he decided to take an official trip to Tucson to visit the University of Arizona. He knew of the school after a couple of older guys at his high school came to Arizona as golfers. Sienkiewicz thought of the U of A as a "dream school" for him to attend as a student with no aspirations beyond that.

"When I took a visit to campus on my own as a sophomore, I had less than two percent chance of making it to Arizona as a golfer," he said. "Coach Jimbo just met with me as a very low-level junior golfer without any bigtime status or achievements. Looking back now it's just funny because at the time I was sitting in his office, I had pretty much no chance of playing here."

A two-sport star in golf and basketball at Jesuit, Sienkiewicz had always been decent on the hardwood and on the course. He didn't make the decision to focus on just golf until his senior year of high school, and that's when things began to change for him. His confidence grew into belief and Sienkiewicz developed into a premier college golf prospect. A revelation of sorts after visiting campus with plans to attend Arizona as just a student nearly two years prior.
 
"I never really committed myself to just golf until my senior year of high school, and that was sort of when I broke through in terms of growing and developing into a collegiate golfer," Sienkiewicz noted. "When my focus shifted to just golf, that's when I really began to make strides in my game and get noticed more and more by college programs."

That summer going into his senior year of high school, Sienkiewicz began to believe in his future as not just a college golfer, but a top player in the nation. A summer of qualifying for, and playing in, the Junior World Championships and the AJGA Junior Amateur gave him a sense of vindication in his belief in himself. A moment in time that he looks back to today and sees an upward trend in his career.

"Getting into those tournaments was really a breakthrough for me because I ended up playing really well in those events. That Junior Worlds, I finished near the top and that really caught Coach Anderson's and Coach Nallen's attention."

His explosion on the prep college scene didn't sway him from his goal of being a Wildcat. He committed to head coach Jim Anderson and the program at the beginning of his senior year of high school despite a later flurry of other college offers.

"I had gotten more offers after that crazy summer, but I always saw Arizona as my dream school. U of A was the best option for me and my family, in our eyes, because of the school, competitiveness and being in the Pac-12, which is a great conference for golf."

Believing in himself had placed him on the Arizona Men's Golf roster, but he knew he could do more.

"Being able to compete and work my way into the lineup regularly as a freshman was what I saw as my belief paying off," Sienkiewicz continued. "I had confidence from playing with the older guys on the team (Laskin, Reeves, Mendenhall) who were all from Northern California as well. I kind of saw them as idols when I was in high school, but then I started seeing them as teammates. I had the belief that they were my equals and that at some point, I was going to be able to beat them."

His rise to the lineup was one part belief and one part his natural competitive drive.

"I had the game for it, and I had pieces of my game in my toolbox that no one else had," he said. "I have always been a competitive guy, which really help me fit in with the culture of the program that is built on competition."

As he began to rise up the ranks of the program, he also grew away from the program. His confidence to be great drove a parallel path as student. Enrolling in the prestigious Eller College of Management with a focus on Marketing. He also grew into a position of leadership, serving on Arizona Athletics' Student-Athlete Advisory Council. Sienkiewicz attributes his holistic growth as a student-athlete to his belief system that he describes as "casual but natural".

"Dedicating myself to excellence in school is something I didn't think about at first, but I began to see myself as a leader on and off the course," he reflected. "That's important to me to be an example for our younger guys on the team as well as other student-athletes from other sports."

Sienkiewicz developed from fifth man in the lineup to top billing on the team. He was an integral part in the team's 2021 Pac-12 Championship, marking the Wildcats' first conference title in 17 years. Arizona followed up the conference crown with an NCAA Regional championship a year later as Sienkiewicz finished runner-up. The dominant showing at the NCAA Bryan Regional propelled the program to a return to the NCAA Championships.
 
Being able to believe in yourself is something he now passes along to the underclassmen. The young guys who remind him of his younger self.

"Whether you have belief in yourself or confidence, one of my biggest takeaways has been understanding your game. I tell our younger guys to play their own game and don't try to be someone else out on the course. It's definitely easier said than done because I remember trying to play like Brad Reeves or Trevor Werbylo when I was a freshman. That came at a time in my career when I wasn't as confident and didn't believe 100 percent in myself and my scoring and results took a dip."

For all of his individual accolades and the program's success, Sienkiewicz knows that belief and a competitive drive can go hand in hand. He know represents those key values of his career each and every time he competes on the course.

"As a freshman, I couldn't foresee myself rising and growing into a top player in college golf. Sitting here today as a senior, I know I have the passion, knowledge and belief to be one the best college golfers. My competitive belief is something I carry with me into tournaments. Whoever is teeing up against me in a group, I want them to know and witness my drive to be great and be an elite golfer. That's a chip I carry on my shoulder every round because of my path to get here."

All it took was a little belief.