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A pair of Englishmen has landed on the campus of Western Texas College, ready to take the serious British approach to golf on the course for the Westerners this season.
Joe Favata and James Sullivan  came to Western Texas College together from South London and are getting a quick education on the vastness of West Texas. While both have spent time in the States on vacation – or as they say, holiday – the unique landscape of West Texas was immediately unfamiliar.
“I’m surprised how flat everything is,” said Sullivan, who has been in Snyder a week. “The first night I decided to walk into town and get some food – I got half way there and turned around. It’s farther away than it looks.”
Favata said the distances between West Texas towns is wildly different from his home in Surrey County near the British capital.
“In between (James and I) are about seven or eight towns. Here, everything is 30 miles away and all the buildings are one-story.”
The golfing attitude in the U.S. is much different from England as well – including the number of courses – said Favata.
“Golf in the states is more casual,” he said. “It’s much more formal in England. You can’t play in jeans, and the rules are strict. There are more than 100 courses in Surrey (County), the second most in England.”
 Favata spent time at a junior college in Iowa and was there six weeks before he decided to transfer. With the help of his former coach and Westerner head coach Cody Cox, Favata was able to transfer, but missed the fall deadline so he returned to the U.K.
Sullivan had decided to skip school altogether and turn pro, but was discouraged to take that route by his golf coach at home.
“He told me it wasn’t the best idea and he talked with Coach Cox, who said he would love to have me,” he said.
Coach Cox actively recruited both players, who will vie for a starting spot during the qualifier next month.
While both are just getting their feet wet – or in the case of West Texas, dusty – in the states, there are already amenities they both miss from home.
“I miss my mother’s cooking,” said Favata. “Every night we had a steak night, a fish night. My mom’s Italian and she can really cook.”
Sullivan said he misses television.
“There are no sports on TV here,” he said. When Favata pointed out that there are numerous sports channels, Sullivan replied with a laugh:
”Not soccer, cricket or rugby.”
WTC men’s golf will play in The Westerner Feb. 14-16 in San Angelo.
Contact: Bobby Allen
Director of WTC News Service
325-5737662
Email: ballen@wtc.edu
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