By John Vellante, The Boston Globe


Brandon Livingston knew he was taking a gamble this past spring when he transferred from the University of Rhode Island to the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. But his gut instinct - and his love of golf - told him it was a chance he had to take.

He turned up aces.

The former Westford Academy star carded rounds of 79 and 74 at Meadow Creek Golf Club in Dracut in an open tryout late last month and earn a spot on the UMass squad, one which coach Gary Mucica feels could be a force to be reckoned with in the rugged Northeast-10 Conference.

Livingston had to prove himself to Mucica twice - once last spring and again last month - and both times did so with flying colors.

"He looked like a kid who had the credentials to make the team," said Mucica. "Our roster was pretty much set at the time and I explained that to him when he came to see me about joining the team."

But Mucica felt that Livingston deserved a shot and extended an invitation to him to join the squad on its preseason training trip to Myrtle Beach, at his own expense.

"He said, 'No problem, coach, I'll pay my own way down,' and he did," said Mucica. "Well, he played well enough to show he belonged, and earned a spot on the roster."

Livingston played sparingly last spring, and though he didn't shoot the lights out, played well enough to have Mucica encourage him to attend the open tryout for the 2008-'09 team. Only those lettering in one season are guaranteed a roster spot in the next.

He "played badly the first time out against Bentley (84), but that was OK, because you could see he had talent," said Mucica. "Then he had an 87 in the first round at AIC before bouncing back with a second-round 73. That helped us finish fourth and solidified our standing in the NCAA East/Northeast Super Regional.

"Golf is different than all other sports," continued Mucica. "You have to have nerves of steel because you have so much time between every shot. You have to time to think about what you have to do and a lot of time negative thoughts creep in. In Brandon, I see a great talent getting comfortable knowing what's expected of him."

The 21-year-old Livingston enrolled for a semester at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth after graduating from Westford Academy, before heading south to Florida for two years to sharpen his game at the IMG Academy in Orlando. Then he headed to URI, where he had hoped the opportunity to play awaited him.

"Things just didn't work out there," he said. "There were no spots open on the roster, and I knew I wasn't going to get a chance to show what I could do. I knew that UMass-Lowell had an up-and-coming team and I liked the coach and bought into what he was trying to do. I thought it would be a good fit."

Now that he's earned a place on the team, it's up to Livingston to retain that spot. Under Mucica, the low man in any tournament automatically is dropped into a playoff to regain his spot.

"It's a fair way," asserts Livingston, "because every man on the roster wants to play, but only five can. If I happen to be low man, it's up to me to prove myself again. If I can't do that, then someone else deserves to play and I'll have to watch until the next playoff. It's nice, though, to know, for now, anyway, that I have a spot on the playing roster. Keeping it is up to me."

Captain Anthony Gallardo, a Central Catholic grad out of Methuen, will also join Livingston for a match this week at Rutgers.