This week's NCAA Championships could be the last collegiate competition for UNM junior Spencer Levin.
The Lobo golfer said he will make a decision this month to either go pro a year early or finish his collegiate career at UNM.
Levin will go from the NCAA Championships to compete in the Palmer Cup on June 8 and June 9.
He was chosen to compete in the Palmer Cup with other top U.S. collegiate golfers against the top collegiate golfers from Europe. Levin said his decision to go pro will come after the tournament.
Levin began competing for UNM in the 2004 spring season after transferring from the University of California-Los Angeles. In his first season at UNM, he shot the second-lowest round in UNM history, was named to the All-Mountain West Conference team and was selected as a second team All-American.
In the summer following his first season at UNM, Levin finished 13th in the U.S. Open. He was the lowest scoring amateur in the tournament by eight shots, and he had the best finish of any amateur since 1971. He began the 2004-2005 season ranked first in the nation and has placed in the top 10 in all but two tournaments this season.
Levin's father Don Levin supports Spencer as his coach and his caddie, but said he isn't pressuring him into any hasty decisions. Don Levin played in the U.S. Open in 1983 and on the PGA Tour.
"My dad told me to do what I feel like doing," Levin said. "He isn't forcing me either way."
Levin said he is focused on the NCAA Championships and thinks UNM's chance to win is as good as any other team.
"I think our team has more confidence than last year," Levin said. "We had a better year, and all the guys have more experience, so our expectations are higher."
Levin said there is no determining factor that will make his decision easier in the weeks to come. He said he will simply weigh the pros and cons of finishing his collegiate career.
"I don't know what I am going to do," Levin said. "I don't think there is anything that will influence me. It is up to me and I need to make a decision."
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Levin said leaving his team is the biggest deterrent from going pro. He said he enjoys playing on a team and would miss his teammates.
He said his biggest temptation to go pro is the idea of playing against the golfers he idolized growing up.
"I look forward to competing against the guys I grew up watching on TV, seeing how my game really adds up against theirs," Levin said.
