Over the past three seasons, few golfers in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) have been as consistent and prolific as Chico State senior Naoki Easterday.

Since stepping onto campus in 2022, Easterday has played in every competitive round for the Wildcats, developing from a promising freshman into a top-tier collegiate golfer. 

Easterday has posted back-to-back seasons averaging even par and recorded multiple top-three finishes. 

On top of that, Easterday set career bests with 65 shots for 18 holes at the Pioneer Shootout and 204 shots for 54 holes at the Rocky Mountain Golf Association (RJGA).

In golf, par is the benchmark number of strokes that a skilled golfer should take to complete a hole. There is also a par number determined for an entire 18-hole course, often being 72 strokes.

This past spring, he tied for first at the Hanny Stanislaus Invitational, earning him the CCAA Golfer of the Week award, the latest highlight of his steadily rising career.

This was the third consecutive week that Easterday won the award, making him the second golfer to accomplish that feat, the first being Chico State’s Kyle Souza in 2011.

“I think just getting more and more experience really helped with developing, getting a little bit better each year,” Easterday said. “My mindset and attitude has changed a bit too, which has helped me stay more patient and consistent on the course.”

Easterday’s numbers reflect more than just consistency. They show clear progression, which is a reflection of the work he has done to improve his play.

As a freshman in 2022–23, he averaged 74.06 over 33 rounds. His only top-10 finish came at the NCAA Super Regionals, where he tied for fifth and helped Chico State reach the national championships. 

In golf, the lower the better, so when Easterday’s scoring average dropped to 71.93 in his sophomore year, he put his incredible skill on display. He also posted seven top-10 finishes, including a tie for fourth at the CCAA Championships, earning All-Tournament honors.

Most recently, during his junior year campaign, Easterday elevated his game once again. He finished with an even par for the season (72.00 average), placed inside the top 10 in six events and earned three top-three finishes in the final month of the spring season.

“I didn’t focus on where I was going to finish, I focused on every shot, putting all my effort into every single shot,” Easterday said. “It can get tough in golf if you’re thinking ahead too much, so I just take it one hole, one shot at a time.”

Chico men’s golf head coach Nick Green thinks highly of Easterday as well, referring to him as one of the best and most accurate ball strikers he has ever seen.

“It’s like clockwork, he’s just very, very accurate with his ball striking, he doesn’t miss very much,” Green said. “But I think that his mind and the way he thinks about golf is a bit undersold because of how good his striking is, but it’s equally as important for his success.”

Just like any other sport, golf has its mental side as well, and it’s often overlooked. Easterday expressed that it can be easy to get burnt out and lose motivation, so staying mentally strong and staying at his own pace is essential for his success. 

Easterday has earned his reputation by doing something few college athletes manage: he’s competed in every single round of his collegiate career. That level of availability, paired with elite performance, is a rare feat in any sport and a reflection of his strength.

“It almost feels like the mental game is 50% of my scoring,” Easterday said. “Going from a good golfer to a really great golfer is almost all mental. It’s difficult, but focusing on the little goals really helps.”

The best played round of his collegiate career is the 65 he shot at the Pioneer Shootout, but Easterday says that the most memorable round of his career is one where things didn’t go so smoothly. 

Easterday once stroked a 66 despite hitting both an out-of-bounds and a hazard ball, proof of how he can stay composed under pressure, which is a valuable trait for an athlete to have.

“When you’re playing well, you obviously have confidence, but at that point even one OB can still rattle you,” Easterday reflected. “You just have to really trust in what you know to stay confident and move past the bad ball, even when it’s something like an OB.”

Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Easterday attended Sunset High School, where he won a league title as a senior. Before that, he qualified for the Oregon state championships as a freshman and sophomore. 

A standout on the Pacific Northwest amateur circuit, he earned medalist honors with a 67 in a 102-player qualifier to reach the Washington Men’s Amateur, where he placed 12th overall. He also won the Oregon Public Links Championship in 2022.

That regional success made Easterday a strong recruit for Chico State. 

“I knew he was going to be a very good and consistent athlete when I recruited him,” Green said. “Since he stepped foot on campus, he’s been so invested and such a quality contributor to our entire program.”

Ironically, Green mentioned that Easterday didn’t play very well on his recruiting visit, causing some of the returners to question his skill level. Despite this, Green held his trust in Easterday and now reaps the benefits. 

“I told them, I’m sure he’s the one,” Green said. “The short audition that you may see isn’t necessarily everything that somebody is able to do. That was the case with Naoki.”

A major factor in Easterday’s decision to commit to Chico State was Green himself.

“The vibe that I got from him was really good; he seemed like a chill coach compared to other college coaches, and I liked that,” Easterday said. “I also really liked his style, like how he coached, that was a big one too.”

With his final season underway, Easterday is focused on helping Chico State make a deep postseason run.

The team has completed the fall segment of their season and is now on a break until the spring portion of the season starts. Easterday impressed yet again in the fall, finishing in 1st, 4th, 12th and 21st place. He was the Wildcats leading scorer in all four rounds.

Individually, his goals are set to compete at the highest level, with aspirations of golfing professionally after he graduates with a degree in biology.

“Honestly, it would just be really cool to play pro,” Easterday said. “Especially since I really don’t know what else I would do, I like playing golf more than anything else.”

Whatever comes next, Easterdays’ legacy at Chico State is already exemplary. Over his three seasons as a Wildcat, Easterday has built one of the most consistent and dominant careers in recent program history.

Aiyana Curry can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].