BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — The best way to a low golf score is in the details.

That was Brett Rinker’s motto heading into his first collegiate golf season at Bowling Green University.

The Slippery Rock High graduate focused on the little things. He put in even more practice time on his short game and putting.

“That’s the best way to cut down on shots,” Rinker said.

It worked.

Rinker turned in one of the best seasons, not only for a freshman, but for any golfer in Bowling Green history.

Rinker recorded a team-best average of 73.26, placed in the top-15 in six events and placed fifth overall at the Mid-American Conference Championships.

All that added up to a MAC Men’s Golf Freshman of the Year award for Rinker, becoming the first freshman in Bowling Green history to win it.

Rinker also was on the watch list for the Frank Fuhrer III Collegiate Player of the Year award.

“I think I had a very good season,” Rinker said. “I had a few rough patches, but I just kept working harder, kept practicing and practicing and practicing. I’m going to work even harder now. There’s always ways to improve your game.”

Rinker, who finished third as a junior and second as a senior at the PIAA Golf Championships while at Slippery Rock, said his extensive experience with high-pressure tournaments as a youth helped him greatly in his first season of Division I college golf.

“I’ve been in a lot of pressure situations,” Rinker said. “They taught me how to deal with things when you are out on the course.”

Still, little could truly prepare him for Division I golf.

That’s why he went back to basics in the winter and worked on his short game.

“When you are a golfer in the winter up north, you’re not playing a lot of golf,” Rinker said. “The best you can do is chip and putt.”

Rinker said he also had to adjust his approach to tournaments as part of a team.

There were times when he normally would have attacked a green while golfing as an individual, but had to think about what was best for the team.

“I had to play as smart as possible,” Rinker said. “Mentally, it’s not the same playing as part of a team as it is as just you entered in a tournament. I usually play for myself, but I had to play for a team. I had to think about what shot was best for the team, what shot won’t hurt the team.”

Rinker was surrounded by talented golfers on the Bowling Green roster, including another freshman, Jose Narro, who was also in the running for the MAC freshman award.

Rinker ended up shooting a lower score than Narro in the MAC championships, which tipped the scales in the Slippery Rock native’s favor.

Rinker chose Bowling Green late in the recruiting process. He struggled with his decision. He’s more than happy with it now.

“My first year was more than I ever hoped it would be,” Rinker said. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than Bowling Green.”