Season-ending injury derailed Pepito last year; now he is back for NVC men's golf
Photos: Lawrence Pepito of the Napa Valley College men's golf team
Photos by Marty James
By MARTY JAMES
There was a point in time, just a few weeks after surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, when Lawrence Pepito started to question his future in golf.
"I just had all these negative thoughts," said Pepito. "I was overthinking a lot of things, just because, if you're not walking on a daily basis, you're not used to it.
"I was like, 'I don't know if I can make it. I don't know if I can play golf again.' "
Pepito's family and friends were there by his side, providing help, support and encouragement, doing everything to assist him, in his recovery process following the April 19, 2024 surgery at Kaiser Permanente Fremont Medical Center. He suffered the injury playing in a pick-up basketball game on March 30 at UC Berkeley's Rec Center and missed the rest of the men's golf season for Napa Valley College, where he was a starter and in the Storm's lineup as a freshman.
"I had such a good support system," said Pepito. "They helped to really motivate me every day, that it's just for now, that it's a process I have to go through."
A week after the injury, Pepito got an MRI, confirming the tear of the ACL.
Storm head coach Bob Freschi called it a very emotional day, when Pepito informed his teammates about the injury and having to miss the rest of the 2024 season. He had played in both dual matches and Big 8 Conference tournaments for Napa Valley last year.
"(Coach Freschi) invited me back to practice to tell everybody my situation. Why wasn't I going to practice. Why wasn't I able to play the tournaments. I told my teammates that I completely tore my ACL, that I needed surgery," said Pepito. "It was a very emotional day for me, just because golf is very special to me and how it has affected my life. So, as I told them, I knew that they were pretty bummed that I was out for the season."
Pepito added: "I did not expect for my season to end like that."
Pepito played very well last year for the Storm, with his top scores coming at:
* Oakdale Golf and Country Club (Stanislaus County), Big 8 Conference tournament, 6-over-par 78.
* Turlock Golf & Country Club, in a dual match against Modesto Junior College, 7-over-par 79.
* State Preview Invitational, at Sandpiper Golf Club, in Goleta (Santa Barbara County), 7-over-par 79.
"It was emotional for him. Once we found out the MRI results, Lawrence and I talked and it got emotional," Freschi recalled. "He came to practice and told the team. We were talking about what's next, to try to line up that surgery as soon as you can.
"It's a major injury, and it's tough to go through it. But again, it wasn't about the present moment. It was about the future. He has a bright future."
Pepito stayed as connected as he could to the NVC program. The Storm had one of its best seasons in school history, winning seven tournaments, capturing the Big 8 Conference North Division title, and finishing in fourth place at the California Community College Athletic Association State Championships at Sandpiper Golf Club.
"Even after my surgery, I was still trying to keep up to date with them, with how they were doing. I would still keep in contact with some of my teammates," said Pepito.
Being mentally strong and tough, having a positive attitude, having goals, getting physical therapy, and also working with Napa Valley College's athletic trainers, Brandon Lucas and Traci Oyama, helped Pepito so much.
"After a while, I started to realize and feel like, from this injury, it was going to make me even stronger," said Pepito. "It kind of helped my mentality."
He added: "Brandon and Traci were a really big help. I really appreciate everything that they did for me. It was all about just the recovery – strengthening, flexibility. I'm really thankful for them."
From around the five-month mark of post-surgery, Pepito said he was determined to come back, to play golf again, to walk the golf course, to play tournament golf for the Storm. It was on account of the progress that he had made and his absolute passion and commitment to the game.
"I didn't want this ACL injury to stop me from playing golf. I used that as motivation," he said. "Having a good attitude, I take pride in that."
The first few months following surgery were the hardest, said Pepito, as he could not put any weight on his right leg and he needed crutches to get around. Around the three-month mark, there was a big change – where, as he said, "everything really just skied up," where he was starting to walk better and starting to gain more flexibility.
Pepito was limited to only being able to hit short-iron shots, using wedges, along with 7-, 8- and 9-iron clubs, last fall. That also meant no driver, no fairway metals, no hybrids.
"I couldn't swing a golf club until October. I couldn't go beyond 7-iron," he said.
Pepito, a sophomore, was medically cleared by his doctor, Dr. Gannon Kennedy, on Jan. 22. Pepito called it a relief, being able to re-join the NVC team and get back in a routine of practicing and playing regularly, while also competing in dual matches and tournaments.
"I knew that I put in the work for the past few months, and now that I got cleared, and now that I got to play for Napa again, it was really a blessing that I was really back, back on the golf course," he explained. "I started to have a new perspective. I started to appreciate all the things more around me, because I feel like, when you come back from an injury like that, your thought or your perspective into things changes."
Napa Valley has a fall program. The spring season for the Storm begins in January.
In their last event, a key midseason matchup of the Big 8 Conference's top two teams, the Storm lost to Reedley College, 369-377, at Silverado Resort in Napa. The teams began the dual match playing the front nine of the South Course, a par-35 layout. The teams continued the match at the turn by going over to the North Course and playing the front nine, a par-36 layout.
"Super proud of (Lawrence) for rehabbing, going through that and getting ready for our season," said Freschi. "It's just a slow progression. It's hard for a young athlete to go through that.
"Lawrence was always ahead of schedule. He has great, strong legs. It was just a matter of time, and he came back. And he once he came back in January, there was that competitive spirit that he was missing for a while. It takes time to get back into it, but he sure has that now."
Napa Valley is off to a great start, as the Storm has won four straight tournaments and is in first place in the Big 8 Conference North Division. The Storm is the host team for a Big 8 Conference tournament on Wednesday, March 26 at Chardonnay Golf Club & Vineyards, in American Canyon, at 11:30 a.m.
"He's just been a huge part of our success recently. Just a talented young golfer with the best years ahead of him," said Freschi. "He really worked hard and just a great mindset."
There was never a question about Pepito playing again for the Storm, said Freschi.
"That was what we prepped for and were planning for, that he was going to be one of our top players in 2025. And he sure is," said Freschi. "Credit to our training staff (Brandon Lucas and Traci Oyama). Lawrence really committed to the training room and committed to getting ready for our season. The competitive juices in a competitive match came back real soon for him."
Pepito, 22, has been in the NVC lineup all season. He has been a solid contributor, posting impressive scores, including:
* 8-over-par 79, at Woodbridge Golf & Country Club, in San Joaquin County. It was the Big 8 Conference's first tournament of the spring season.
* 1-over-par 73, at Chardonnay Golf Club & Vineyards. It was a tri-match.
* 7-over-par 79, at Silverado Resort's North Course. It was a Big 8 Conference-North Division tournament.
* 3-over-par 75, at Yolo Fliers Club, in Woodland. It was a Big 8 Conference-North Division tournament.
* 5-over-par 77, at Chardonnay Golf Club & Vineyards. It was a Big 8 Conference North Division tournament.
* 5-over-par 77, at Turlock Golf & Country Club. It was a Big 8 Conference-North Division tournament.
Freschi calls Pepito's golf swing picture-perfect.
"Sometimes he gets a little too quick over the top, but he's always mechanically really solid, and he's never lost that," said Freschi. "He's really striking the ball well and hitting it a long ways with his driver. His game is maturing and he's developing. The first few matches this year, he's settling down. He's really developing and understanding how to play solid. It's fun to watch.
"He's an integral part of our lineup and our team. He has experience. He's very talented and he's just a pleasure to coach and be around, with a wonderful attitude. He enjoys playing the game of golf and has a passion for it."
Pepito said he has gotten more and more comfortable playing in matches and tournaments this year. He said he is also so very appreciative of just being able to get out and play again and putting the time into his game.
"When you have an injury like that, I think it was just trusting that everything's going to be OK," he pointed out. "I think my game has been really good, especially with the work that I've been putting in.
"I feel like I'm mentally strong. I have more confidence in my game. I don't really overthink a lot of shots anymore. So, I think I'm pretty confident to say that my game is trending to the right way. So far, I've been playing pretty good golf, pretty good consistent golf."
It was Pepito's grandfather, Sixto dela Victoria, who introduced him to golf in The Philippines.
Pepito was born in San Francisco. He went to high school at Saint Paul's School of Ormoc Foundation, in Ormoc City, The Philippines. As a point guard, he averaged 18.5 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.2 steals per game during his career at Saint Paul's School of Ormoc Foundation
After graduating in 2021, Pepito spent a year, learning more and more about golf from his grandfather, continuously practicing and playing.
"Golf has really given me a lot of opportunities. I don't want to waste that opportunity," he said.
* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.