鈥淛ust Me and the Ball鈥澛�
Rising junior (Mktg鈥�25) of the CU men鈥檚 golf team has played in the No. 1 or No. 2 position in both of his first two years at Colorado. A rare lefty golfer, he started the 2022鈥�23 season by winning the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Classic with a three-round total of 200, the lowest-ever gross score for a CU golfer. In May, he was after placing second in the Pac-12 Championship.聽
You and fellow rising junior Justin Biwer (Acct, Fin鈥�25) played in the top two positions your first two years at CU. How has it been adapting to college play while leading the team?
The competition is up, the courses are harder. A funny thing is that with high school golf, another friend and I were No. 1 and No. 2 all four years as well. But I was not expecting it here. I came in as one of the lower guys. Coming in, I put a lot of effort in over the summer to step up my game, emphasizing things that I hadn鈥檛 been good at.
You鈥檝e been remarkably consistent with the Buffs, including closing the fall 2022 season with six consecutive tournaments under par. To what do you attribute your consistency?
I鈥檝e always been on the shorter side of distance, so I have to be accurate. I grew up on a tree-lined course where you have to hit the fairway. If you consistently hit fairways and shots into the green, you can consistently play well.
My dad broke his neck when he was about 15, so he can鈥檛 swing much. When we practiced when I was young, we always went to the short game area to work on chipping and putting. If I end up in a bad position now, I believe I鈥檓 good enough to save a par.
How do college tournaments work?
Typically, tournaments are 54 holes. Your coaches are basically caddies. Reading putts, picking lines, whatever they can help with 鈥� they just can鈥檛 carry your bag. They bounce from player to player or stick around on tough holes that we might struggle on. We bring five players to each tournament and count the top four scores from each day. With winter tournaments [in warmer regions], we鈥檒l head out early to get rounds in and practice on grass because we can鈥檛 here in the winter.
You鈥檙e from Granite Bay, California, near Sacramento. Why did you choose CU?
Roy Edwards, our head coach, gave me an opportunity. It was one of my best offers. Coming to the Pac-12 was awesome because practically all my friends who I grew up playing with went to Pac-12 schools. I get to compete against them. And the practice facilities and everything here are exactly what I need to get better.
Can you share some advice you鈥檝e received from your CU coaches?
Derek Tolan (Soc鈥�20), our assistant coach, tells me to swing confidently. Commit to every shot. A problem I鈥檝e had is I鈥檒l have the shot planned out, but when I try to pull it off, I鈥檒l come out of it and get scared. Like if I don鈥檛 want to go in the water, I鈥檒l hit left.聽
What do you remember about your CU record-breaking Fighting Irish tournament?
Going in, the main thing I worked on was alignment, making sure I was aimed to where I thought I was pointed. When I play my best, I鈥檓 typically putting and chipping well. That weekend, I putted pretty badly, but my irons were probably the best they鈥檝e ever been. That was weird. It just shows there are different ways to win.
What contributed to making the 2022鈥�23 season so successful?
Justin pushes me. We鈥檙e always battling back and forth trying to be better than each other. Competition sharpens your game. And Derek has helped me focus on my mental game. I can get mad at shots. I鈥檝e started to calm down and believe that even if I start off bad, I can always come back.聽
When striking the golf ball, how do you block out distractions?聽
It鈥檚 just me and the ball. You can鈥檛 tell yourself 鈥楧on鈥檛 go there鈥� 鈥� like the water, because then all your mind hears is 鈥榳ater.鈥� I tell myself to hit the middle of the green, the flag or a spot. When standing over a shot, you need a plan. The line to start on. The finishing point. Your club down. Yardages, wind, everything. It takes years before that comes naturally.
What is something people may be surprised to learn about you?
In junior golf and even last year, I didn鈥檛 have much confidence. I truly didn鈥檛 believe that I could make it in golf until I started talking with my coaches. Once I won the Notre Dame tournament, that sparked my confidence 鈥� not just in golf, but in everything. It鈥檚 been a whole different mindset.
