My Dad was a big influence. He played football in college, but I followed him on the golf course instead of the football field I guess. A bunch of his friends think I should play football, but I played golf instead.
The best piece of advice he gave me was when I was younger. He told me to pick whatever I wanted to play so I picked golf.
Central Hardin (Boys) won the Region when I was an eighth-grader. That seems like a long time ago. It’s crazy that I’m graduating this year. It happened early in my life and you have to play hard to make it happen. We’ve worked hard to make it happen. I do remember it like it was yesterday, but sadly it was a long time ago.
My freshman and sophomore year, I carded an 81 both years in the Region. I missed out in going to state. My freshman year was at Lindsey (Wilson) I was real young then. My sophomore year was at South Park. I kind of had the expectations that I could have gone to state, but it just didn’t happen. I’ve practiced hard last year, and made the cut and went to state.
Going to state was big. I remember my eighth-grade year, I kind of felt that I was really young then and was really nervous that year, but it was kind of like I realized that I want to be back here next year and I have to put work to get back here even if I didn’t make the cut.
Last year, I missed the cut by one.
Getting taller helped my game. It really helped getting taller and stronger and I started working out with BEFIT. Bob and Beverly Johnson are like personal trainers. It was a complete different swing change getting taller and kind of maturing and I kept on growing and adding yardage helped.
You can always improve your game. I felt like I had to work on hitting more greens and try from 100-yards in try to get as close as I can for a chance to get a Birdie or Par.
My summer was a little busy. I did play in some tournaments, but I was working in basketball camps. I did play quite a bit of golf last summer going into my junior year, but committing to Morehead made me realize that I should play in some tournaments, but not as many as I did. I did play in some of the state tournaments in the AGA’s and all those.
Basketball is my second sport. It’s more team oriented. Basketball is more physical, while golf is played between your ears. It’s all in your head. It’s all mental, but I definitely agree that basketball is more physical and you have to be in shape to play golf and walk a lot and concentrate for several hours.
Also, in golf you are playing the course. I think when you are playing golf, you are playing against yourself. Whenever you are playing golf you focus on the course. Not necessarily the scores and until you get in and sign your scorecard you think “Well, maybe I have to beat this guy and this guy.” When you are on the course you are just focused on shot on shot and on shot and then it’s definitely more of a single sport than anything when you are playing.
I carded a 74 in the Bruin Cup and we won at Heartland. I felt like we had more knowledge playing there so we may have had an advantage than some of those other teams playing there. It’s not a course that you don’t want to go into playing on without that, but I felt the team had a little more experience playing there and we felt more comfortable there and we did play really well.
I feel more comfortable this year. This is my senior season and I do feel more comfortable as opposed to being more nervous. You do so much to play well, but you might not play as well, but the older you get you realize that you don’t have to press as much you just have to play the course.
Cameron Dawson and I are good friends and we are competitors. We swim, play ping pong and Dunk Ball, but I do have him in ping pong and Dunk Ball. I’m not going to lie. I have a pretty nasty serve in ping pong. I like to wax him when we play ping pong.
I’m not very good at miniature golf. We’ve played some and I don’t think I’ve ever shot well on a course. I’m also awful at Wii Golf. I’ve played three times my whole life and I’m not very good. I don’t like playing it.
Chris Adams was my coach since fourth or fifth-grade. I’ll probably miss just not having him around me. It is weird not having him for my last season, but I knew he had to make some decisions and I think he made the right one.
I think it will take a lot for Tiger Woods to win another major. He’s Tiger Woods. Right now there are so many young and talented golfers so it will be a challenge.
I’ve had some pretty bad luck on the golf course. One time, I was on Number 9 at Elizabethtown Country Club and Garrett Valentine, who I had confidence in shanks one and it one hops on the ground and into my ankle. It looked like a watermelon after it hit me.
Jordan Spieth is a player who I would love to play 18-holes with. I love everything about his game. He’s so good it’s insane.I think it would be a dream 18-hole experience.
Natalie Gulbis would be my dream golf date. She’s pretty good looking.
