Sept. 13, 2005
– For the first time in two years, you have a lot of decisions to make regarding your lineup. How differently are you approaching that task with so many inexperienced players?
“We qualify a lot and almost let them make those decisions for the most part. It’s a game where you have to earn everything you get. You get into the U.S. Amateur by earning it. You get on tour by earning it. There’s no draft. I don’t think we’ve ever tried to get very far from the nature of the game, so when our players leave here, they understand you play for spots. In professional golf, you play on Thursday and Friday, and if you don’t play well enough, you don’t earn anything.
“We’ve got a very inexperienced group other than Roberto and Mike, and then Kevin and Thomas, who played a lot his freshman year. Beyond that, we’ve got four guys who have never been to a tournament. The best thing for them is to play against each other over and over again and earn those opportunities so their confidence grows. They’ve actually beaten some good players and earned the right to be there. To make qualifying so hard that when they get to the tournaments, they say there’s no pressure here.”
How similar is this situation to what you dealt with after Matt Kuchar and Bryce Molder graduated?
“Back four or five years ago, there was a lot of that. Guys played great on the road because it was so hard to get out of here. The numbers are back to that now where guys are fighting for spots that are not so clear cut. We’ll hope that process that was so successful then comes into play again.”
Would you be surprised that Roberto and Mike were not there every week?
“Over 72 or 90 holes (of qualifying), those guys have shown that they can beat these other guys and be successful in the tournaments they played in, or events this summer. Those guys have enough experience and wisdom that, no matter how many spots we play for, they should be able to make it.”
Is it more important to take your lumps in your fall tournaments and let your younger players gain experience?
“Yes, it is, because we can’t tell you who will be there. I’m not worried about who goes, because it will be the guys who have played the best in this first 90 holes. They will have earned the right to go. It’s a double-edged sword. You’re nervous, you’re dealing with the unknown. But the great thing about coaching, at least in this situation, you’re going to get some guys who have never played before get to play some, maybe a lot, and this is what they’ve dreamed of. That’s a rewarding experience regardless of what they shoot.”
What have you seen from the three red-shirt freshmen and Cameron Tringale that gives you confidence they can contribute, or concerns that you really don’t know what to expect?
“Based on their golf this summer and based on qualifying, they’re better. You just watch the way they walk around school. There’s no comparison in their maturity now and 365 days ago. They are much more equipped to deal with school, golf and Georgia Tech. Cameron had a wonderful summer, a very talented guy, and I would not be surprised if he comes in and plays a lot this year.
The two players who have been in the program a while – Kevin Larsen and Thomas Jordan – both have experience but spotty success. Neither played much this summer. What do you expect from them?
“A lot. [Playing more summer golf] would have given me a better idea of what to expect. But Chan (Song} took a summer off and then he had his best year here. You’d like a guy to go all the time, but it’s hard to do. They both seem energized and enthusiastic. Can you pick up college golf and play well without having done much during the summer? Absolutely, because it’s a different game.
“It would be wonderful if the older guys can play like I know they can, and it would make our team a lot better. You’ve got Kevin with two NCAA’s and Thomas with one, and that experience factor at the end of the year would be huge if they can earn the right to be back there. It’s Thomas’ senior year, and he was elected captain this year, which shows what kind of person he is. He’s paid a price and done a lot of great things. They’re both talented, and I’m sure, disappointed in how they’ve played up until now. But that’s why this team can be very, very good.
Is it critical that one of them play often and play well?
“From an experience factor, yes. That puts a lot less pressure on those who haven’t played. That would be big for us.”
Roberto has been your horse with his achievements last year. How much better can he be for your team?
“He made first-team All-American by trying to be the best player on our team. He knows that if he was playing No. 1 here that that would be the result. But he didn’t do that by trying to carry the whole load. The one thing he needs to guard against it trying to do too much. He needs to be Roberto Castro. He doesn’t need to try and be the team. He’s just got to take care of his business and let me worry about the rest. It’s not unlike the situation Bryce Molder was in here after Matt Kuchar left. He’s maturing. He’s efficient with his school work and efficient with his golf. He has incredible passion for what he does.
He got away from golf late in the summer after he did not make the Walker Cup team. Will that be beneficial for him?
“He really worked hard to make the Walker Cup team, and I know that was very disappointing to him. Here at the end, I think he really needed to get away from it. For the last 10 months or so, he grinded very hard, and at some point, he was going to run out of gas.”
You added a spring tournament to host at The Golf Club of Georgia. How did that come about, and why did you want to host a second event, rather than take the team to a place you’ve not been to (like Oregon last spring)?
“As you know, we joined there as members about eight years ago, and it’s a wonderful facility. They have been on me, and the members have been supportive, to have a tournament. So we tried to get the national championship, got to the finals, and we didn’t get it. So they were disappointed. They asked me what else we could do. We’d never had a college golf tournament on this golf course, so they said, `let’s do that.’ So we have put in a bid to host a [NCAA] regional for 2007 (to be determined in September of 2005).
“We thought the best way to get this golf facility out to the college world, in the hopes that the people on the NCAA golf committee would give us a national championship, was to have an annual event. Some things changed on our schedules, several other schools had openings on their schedules, we wouldn’t have to travel, so it made a whole lot of sense. They’re committed to finding a permanent spot on the college golf schedule and having a great tournament.”
