WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.100 --> 00:00:13.660 [upbeat music] Welcome to "The Base State Golf Podcast." I'm Sean Melia. I've got Ryan Downes on the other line from Vanderbilt. Ryan, thanks for joining. Yeah, of course. Happy to be here. 2 00:00:13.740 --> 00:00:25.180 Yeah, stoked to, uh, to talk as you're getting ready for nationals and heading out to, uh, to La Costa on the heels of winning regionals last week. That's kind of where I'd love to start, just 3 00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:40.600 building up to regionals, a pretty good spring, a tough SECs. Uh, what was it like to get to regionals and have, like, a kind of a record-setting week for you guys? Yeah, you know, I would say it was... 4 00:00:40.680 --> 00:00:51.720 We kind of just, after SECs, kind of just hit a reset button, I would say, 'cause regionals and NCAA championships kind of like a whole new season where everything just kind of resets and you kind of got to go do your job. 5 00:00:51.760 --> 00:01:02.000 And SEC is obviously is a fun week, but we did not play very well. I feel like we have, even the whole spring as a team, we hadn't even won an event yet, so we kind of just been a little slow. 6 00:01:02.160 --> 00:01:07.760 I mean, obviously, I think that's gonna happen because we have a pretty young lineup. We got a couple freshmen in there, which is pretty cool. 7 00:01:08.300 --> 00:01:15.000 But, you know, I thought our prep went really well and just obviously regionals is, it's a kind of a, one of the most nervous times of the year. 8 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:24.140 So, I think we just kind of stayed really light, just had a good time, got to play a, got to play some cool places beforehand, did some qualifying. 9 00:01:24.240 --> 00:01:35.250 So, everything was good going into it, and I think it just worked out for the best for us. What is it, what is it like for a golf team at your level to... You said you pressed the reset button. 10 00:01:35.300 --> 00:01:43.820 Is that, like, something your, kind of coach talks to you guys about, and what does that look like? Just literally saying, like, "Don't worry about what just happened. We're gonna move on." 11 00:01:44.060 --> 00:01:52.460 Is there something you guys do in practice? How do you guys talk about it? Yeah. So, I'd say we had a couple off days after SEC just to kind of give everyone some rest. 12 00:01:52.520 --> 00:02:01.620 And then we had our first team meeting kind of before the regional selection show of, like, 'cause obviously, like, the guys who weren't traveling left, so it's kind of just the six of us who are here. 13 00:02:01.860 --> 00:02:07.280 And then we just had a team meeting with all of us, and coach just kind of just emphasized how it's a new season that, like, look, we... 14 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:13.060 Like nothing, it's almost like nothing else before this mattered if you're gonna go, like, contend for a national championship. 15 00:02:13.180 --> 00:02:21.560 So, I think we kind of just took that to heart, kind of flushed everything from our brain, uh, and just got to work on the aspects that we needed to get much better at. 16 00:02:21.640 --> 00:02:30.060 And I think we got to, even over the next couple days before we leave, I got to keep doing that, 'cause there's definitely another ceiling we can get to, but I think we're definitely on the right track. 17 00:02:30.940 --> 00:02:42.240 So you, you said there's... So, the only guys left right now are the six who were at regionals. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So qualifying is, qualifying and all that stuff is out the window. 18 00:02:42.350 --> 00:02:50.040 If you were, if you played at regionals and you qualify, helped the team qualify, you're going to nationals. Yeah, pretty much. It'll just be... 19 00:02:50.240 --> 00:03:01.140 I'm not sure if the lineup will be exactly the same, 'cause obviously coach has that discretion to change that around, but I'm assuming it'll be. It, it'll be the same six guys for sure. But- Yeah... yeah. 20 00:03:01.900 --> 00:03:11.170 And so not even qualifying, your coach would just, might just shuffle things around of pick someone else to possibly be the sub, really, as the sixth guy- Mm-hmm... who 21 00:03:12.500 --> 00:03:22.280 could get slotted in if someone gets hurt, sick, or I think subs can just, can s- just replace a player after a round just because- Yeah... maybe they didn't play well. 22 00:03:22.360 --> 00:03:29.799 Yeah, they can, uh, coach can definitely, uh, throw a sub in if someone plays, uh, not to their standard, I guess you would want to call it. But- Yeah... 23 00:03:30.480 --> 00:03:36.340 I feel like, yeah, I think you can sub in postseason, which just definitely adds a whole new aspect to it, which is pretty cool. 24 00:03:36.900 --> 00:03:46.640 But, uh, mainly, like, as long as your, your six guys are ready to go, it, I think we're gonna be in a good spot. What are practices like right now for you guys? What, uh, what are the... 25 00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:53.780 Do they feel a little bit different? Does, do you guys just try to keep it relatively the same and treat it like you're going to an event in March? 26 00:03:54.760 --> 00:03:59.860 Um, so I would say our, like, normal in-season practices and post-season practices are both pretty similar. 27 00:04:00.360 --> 00:04:12.340 They can, like, range in difficulty and, like, how long they take, like, if it's a completion practice where coach has set up a bunch of drills for us to complete, like a competition practice where you're kind of hitting a bunch of shots against someone trying to beat them. 28 00:04:12.880 --> 00:04:14.300 But, uh, I would say, like, our... 29 00:04:14.720 --> 00:04:25.020 We do a travel team practice the day before we leave, and it's always kind of the same, which I think is kind of a neat aspect where we kind of just, it gives us a little bit of familiarity, just we know what we're gonna get. 30 00:04:25.080 --> 00:04:28.640 It's just, like, a, a little putting thing, some wedging, some short game. 31 00:04:29.200 --> 00:04:41.700 I would say, like, most of our practices really focus on those aspects, especially, like, wedging, for example, because that's where you kind of score a lot in college golf if you're hitting it pretty good, and then just got to be good on and around the greens. 32 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:47.760 So, I feel like those practices are definitely where we kind of get our bread and butter, where we make up the most shots on people. 33 00:04:48.460 --> 00:04:56.240 Is there a drill that the team generally loves and then one that the team generally [laughs] hates? I guess, let me think. 34 00:04:56.920 --> 00:05:10.280 Sometimes we, this last, like, month or two, we've done a little bit of a driving drill with, like, a really, like, we pick, like, a tiny fairway on the range, and we have to all get it in a row inside the fairway, and that can kind of take a while sometimes. 35 00:05:10.820 --> 00:05:22.200 But yeah, I mean, there's also, like, we also do a putting one where it's, we pick, like, everyone, we have nine holes on our bank grass green at the facility, and we have 10 on the team. 36 00:05:22.300 --> 00:05:29.400 Like, this is just during the regular season. So we'd have, like, four to five footers at each, every hole, and everyone has to make it. 37 00:05:29.440 --> 00:05:37.580 And then since we had 10 people on our team, the one person who is sitting out that time, if we all made it, has to validate it, and it's kind of, like, a good, like, pressure-filled drill. 38 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:48.940 And then if we don't do it, we have to do, like, a consequence, like push-ups, sit-ups, you name it, something like that. So we can either get that done really fast or it can take a while. So it's, it's good. 39 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:49.540 Would you say... 40 00:05:49.740 --> 00:06:13.534 I- I've seen stuff on, on Instagram where teams are doing these, like, they're, they're awesome-looking drills because you, like you said, it puts a little bit of pressure on everyone, and maybe at some point it puts all the pressure on one guy, which if you want to go win a national title-There's gonna be a moment where one of you is gonna have a four or five footer, or one of you is gonna have to step on, up on the 18th tee and hit, like, the shot of their life- Mm-hmm... 41 00:06:13.554 --> 00:06:23.444 to get a wedge in their hand to then maybe have that putt. Like, do those ever... How long, when you say it takes a long time, like, what is, what is a long time for you guys? 42 00:06:23.524 --> 00:06:30.384 Can you s- be grinding over a drill like that for 45 minutes as a team? For sure, yeah, especially the driving one. 43 00:06:30.504 --> 00:06:38.604 I think we implemented the driving drill that, in, like, one of our travel team practices, and we were on the range for over an hour trying to do this. It was brutal. 44 00:06:38.864 --> 00:06:48.214 Yeah, like, it can get done in two minutes, or it can take an hour. It, it depends on how everyone's doing that day, kind of. Yeah. Like, are there, maybe you can name names. 45 00:06:48.244 --> 00:06:53.224 Are there guys on your team that you're just, are, like, the most steady in those moments? 46 00:06:53.624 --> 00:07:00.734 Yeah, I would say, like, if you look at, like, off the tee aspects, we got, Wells Williams is a really good driver of the golf ball, so he's pretty good at that. 47 00:07:01.364 --> 00:07:04.964 One of our freshmen, John Ed, is also a really good driver of the golf ball, so they kind of just hit it straight. 48 00:07:05.184 --> 00:07:10.304 I personally am not the straightest driver of the golf ball, so it can get a little dicey for me sometimes. 49 00:07:10.824 --> 00:07:23.284 But, I feel like the putting one, kind of everyone's, we all kind of have similar routines, so it's kind of everyone just, as long and, like, we're able to, like, 'cause we rotate around in a circle, so we can give, like, the other person the read and everything. 50 00:07:23.444 --> 00:07:31.584 So I feel like, kind of everyone's kind of in their own world and then can ask for help if they need it on that. But I would definitely say that about the driving drill. It can get... 51 00:07:32.204 --> 00:07:38.764 You got some guys who are like, "Oh yeah, I'm just gonna hit it in the fairway," and then me sometimes it's just like, "Oh boy. Sorry, guys." 52 00:07:39.164 --> 00:07:47.544 What are the, uh, what are the competitive, you kind of mentioned drills and then a part where you might be competing against a guy. What kind of drills and stuff do you do for that? 53 00:07:47.564 --> 00:07:52.544 Or not drills, but, like, what does that look like? So our competi- it's called competition practice. 54 00:07:52.624 --> 00:08:01.604 So our team is, like, we had a, it's, like, split up into black and gold teams throughout the year, and we do a bunch of match play and stuff, like, on the course or, like, a competition practice. 55 00:08:02.244 --> 00:08:13.504 It kind of like, it's like Ryder Cup style points. So you'll face, like, a guy. There's usually six chips, and it's just up and downs. So say I got up and down and whoever I'm facing didn't, I'm one up. 56 00:08:14.113 --> 00:08:17.804 And then you go to wedging, which is just closest to the pin. It's six wedge shots. 57 00:08:17.964 --> 00:08:24.804 Um, and then you go to putting, which can range from short putts to lag putts, and it's just kind of like match play style, which is, I think it's pretty fun. 58 00:08:24.824 --> 00:08:38.034 It kind of simulates, like, a real on-course environment, which I think really helps us a lot. Cool. La Costa coming up. You did not play last year. Is that right? I did, actually. I, I was there. You did play last year. 59 00:08:38.124 --> 00:08:47.764 So- Yep. So you were there, okay. What, what does preparation look like for you guys just as far as maybe any course in general, but, like, how do you guys analyze a course? 60 00:08:47.864 --> 00:08:57.864 How do you guys prep individually and then as a team for playing different golf courses? You can use La Costa as the example, but curious, just always fascinates me how college coaches 61 00:08:58.864 --> 00:09:06.364 nowadays help kids get ready for, for events. I guess you want to use La Costa for an example. So we had three of us who played last year. 62 00:09:06.484 --> 00:09:16.024 Me, Wells, and Chase, uh, were there, so we all know the golf course fairly well, I would say. Um, but obviously we got three young freshmen who haven't been there yet. 63 00:09:16.104 --> 00:09:22.824 So we're gonna be kind of tasked, I would say, us three and the coaches of kind of really kind of going through the golf course. 64 00:09:22.884 --> 00:09:29.384 So, like, we'll have a travel, in our travel team meeting day before we leave, we kind of take out the yardage books and kind of go over everything. 65 00:09:29.414 --> 00:09:40.564 And I would say since it's been there the last two years, we kind of know where all the pin placements are relatively gonna be, especially for stroke play, 'cause I still have my yardage book from last year that I tend to look at from time to time. 66 00:09:40.784 --> 00:09:48.624 So we'll be able to kind of go over each hole, and obviously, like, kind of everyone's different, I would say, on our team, what their strengths and re- weaknesses are. 67 00:09:49.144 --> 00:09:52.984 Like, if you have really good drivers of the golf ball, you can definitely hit a lot more drivers out there. 68 00:09:53.544 --> 00:10:03.303 But, like, the course also rewards kind of being in play, so, like, I will personally hit more, say, two irons off the tee just to get myself in play because my, I think my iron game's pretty solid. 69 00:10:03.374 --> 00:10:14.244 But yeah, I mean, the coaches obviously do a good job, like, any place, like, usually they've been to. Like, we try to do, I'd say, like, two new tournaments a year just 'cause it's cool to play new golf courses. 70 00:10:14.804 --> 00:10:22.704 But the tournaments we go back to, they have such, like, high, like, golf knowledge on the golf course already. So we don't, like, we just kind of listen to them and what they have to say. 71 00:10:22.993 --> 00:10:30.884 And then obviously the practice round, you can kind of see how firm the golf course is, if it's soft, firm, how much the ball's rolling. So that can definitely adjust your game plan. 72 00:10:30.964 --> 00:10:36.924 But we kind of, I would say going into it, we already kind of have, like, a, a stock idea how we're gonna try to play the golf course. 73 00:10:37.624 --> 00:10:47.763 How do you guys, do you guys track stuff over, how do you track your shots and your rounds over, over the year? Yeah, so we have, like, a whole stats page. So it's actually quite unique. 74 00:10:47.884 --> 00:10:59.404 So one of our incoming freshmen next year runs, like, a huge stat system now in college golf, which started this year, so a lot of teams use it. And I think it's really, like, high quality, and it's really good. 75 00:10:59.524 --> 00:11:09.384 So usually we'll just, like, I have a good memory, so I can kind of remember exactly where I hit my shot, and, like, I'll pace off during the round how long my putts are just for, like, stat purposes. 76 00:11:09.464 --> 00:11:17.804 So, like, we can kind of just keep track of that, and we just post them, like, right after the round or, like, a couple hours after to see what we did well, see what we could do better. 77 00:11:18.624 --> 00:11:28.134 Um, but I, I as a junior golfer never used that, which I kind of wish I did, 'cause it really helps me kind of focus my practice and everything. So you, [laughs] I just want to... 78 00:11:28.424 --> 00:11:42.323 You have a freshman coming to the team next year who has developed a s- like, a shot-tracking app? His, uh, his dad did it, and he's, like, a... I know him quite well. I've played golf with, uh, the incoming freshman. 79 00:11:42.904 --> 00:11:48.404 His name's Luke. I've played golf with him quite a few times, and so it's, it's really, it's unique how he's done it. 80 00:11:48.484 --> 00:11:59.624 It's pretty, I think it's really cool, and just, like, there's a lot of teams out there that just started using it this year. And it's just, like, it's really good, so it's pretty, it's cool. It's good. 81 00:11:59.664 --> 00:12:05.134 What's, as you started to track your stats, what was the, for your game, the thing that surprised you the most? 82 00:12:05.204 --> 00:12:19.036 Maybe something you thought you were good at that, like, the numbers beared out that [laughs] you weren't as good as you thought, or something that you were like, "Oh, I'm actually better at this than I thought I was"?I guess over the last couple years, I've noticed that my iron game, when I'm swinging it well, is usually really solid. 83 00:12:19.216 --> 00:12:28.236 And I would say definitely I gotta get better off the tee and putting, kind of the two main aspects I kind of lose shots on, 'cause I chip it really good and I iron it really good. 84 00:12:28.316 --> 00:12:37.316 So if I can putt and drive the ball well, it's usually when I play good. But yeah, I think it just really has kind of helped me focus on those areas a little bit more, which is nice. 85 00:12:38.396 --> 00:12:53.536 After two years at Vanderbilt, what, um, what is, like, if you could go back and give freshman Ryan Downes, as you're heading down to Vanderbilt, like, one piece of advice or one thing that, that, uh, you wanted him to know, what would you tell him? 86 00:12:53.736 --> 00:13:05.116 I would say I would definitely want to tell myself to be really kind of patient and be really coachable, which I kind of did pretty well. I would say my freshman year I was really... I thought I was really coachable. 87 00:13:05.136 --> 00:13:12.846 But, uh, our coaches, they know so much and, like, just your first year, just try to learn a lot that you can from them. 88 00:13:12.876 --> 00:13:26.606 And, like, anyone around you, even, like, the upperclassmen, just, I think you just have to really be willing to learn and kind of accept some challenges that you might face along the way, because those are the years you kind of just really grow as a person and, like, grow, grow in your golf game a lot. 89 00:13:27.276 --> 00:13:34.736 So I think that would be the main piece of advice that I would tell myself. You've got... You've, you also had just an interesting... 90 00:13:34.916 --> 00:13:46.076 I mean, Vanderbilt, not a lot of kids from Mass who play golf end up at Vanderbilt, and you followed John Broderick down there, who's now graduating- Mm-hmm... or has graduated. 91 00:13:46.236 --> 00:13:54.886 And just, like, curious about your relationship with him as, like, two guys from Massachusetts playing on, you know, an elite college golf team together. 92 00:13:56.156 --> 00:14:07.036 Yeah, I mean, I definitely would not be here if it wasn't for John, I would say, just kind of playing junior golf with him so much growing up, and just kind of developing a really good relationship with him. 93 00:14:07.276 --> 00:14:12.996 Yeah, he kind of, I would say when I was getting recruited, he kind of told the coaches about me, which was pretty cool. 94 00:14:13.196 --> 00:14:19.476 And obviously being from the Northeast, like, it's kind of hard to get recruited by more Southern schools, so I had to travel a little bit to play. 95 00:14:19.676 --> 00:14:31.156 But that kind of really just, like, set the tone and really helped me out, and I'm just so happy that it worked out that way, because I found, like, a really awesome, like, second home, and, like, our brotherhood's really cool between us teammates. 96 00:14:31.196 --> 00:14:43.296 Our culture's so strong and, like, I'm really fortunate for, uh, to, like, I'd say find a bunch of brothers for life, and I wouldn't really be able to do that without having a friendship with, uh, John, like, during junior golf. 97 00:14:43.756 --> 00:14:51.816 So it's just really special. Yeah, it's a cool... It's, it's pretty neat to have the two of you having been down there, and I'd say over the two years, like, you have 98 00:14:52.756 --> 00:15:00.936 definitely, just looking at the, your results, obviously you played more this year than you... You know, you, like you said, you had to be a little pa- you have to be patient. You're a freshman. Mm-hmm. 99 00:15:01.416 --> 00:15:09.316 Obviously you show up, you're like... You know, you had won, uh, Mass Am, you had won New England, you had just had a lot of success up here. 100 00:15:09.916 --> 00:15:19.456 Then you gotta just go back and almost, like you said earlier, press a reset button and- Mm-hmm... almost start at a, like a video game. You're at another level, and you've gotta work your way up. You won this year. 101 00:15:19.536 --> 00:15:31.036 What was it like to win a college event? You won the Bryson in the fall. Mm-hmm. What was that like just to win a college event? Yeah, I mean, it was pretty... I would say it was pretty special. I remember that day. 102 00:15:31.136 --> 00:15:38.216 I was just, like, going into it, we were leading, I think, by, like, one as a team, and we're obviously kind of just playing to try to get a team win. 103 00:15:38.256 --> 00:15:48.976 And, like, I'm usually a big leaderboard checker on the golf course, and I hadn't checked the leaderboard on the golf course a single time that tournament. And then the last day, I kind of just started out pretty hot. 104 00:15:49.016 --> 00:15:56.416 I was playing well. I'm like, "Okay," you know, just trying to kind of keep it going for the team, not really trying to think about individual or anything like that. 105 00:15:56.536 --> 00:16:06.796 And then I was like, I birdied 17, I think, to take a one-shot lead, which I didn't know at the time, and then I looked at the leaderboard after I hit my tee shot on 18. I'm like, "Oh, wow, I'm leading by one. 106 00:16:06.976 --> 00:16:16.606 That's cool." And we'd basically kind of secured the team title already at that point, so I'm like, "All right, this is interesting." But so yeah, it was kind of... I mean, it was really special, uh, finishing. 107 00:16:16.696 --> 00:16:24.016 I was just, like, kind of in shock 'cause I played really good that last day, and I didn't really think I had, like, a huge chance to win going into it. 108 00:16:24.656 --> 00:16:31.236 But, yeah, it's just kind of really cool to celebrate, like, that win with my teammates and, like, that we won as well is pretty special. 109 00:16:31.475 --> 00:16:39.156 But yeah, I think it's just, like, it was something I always will remember because it's just, like, a big kind of milestone and, like, having... 110 00:16:39.246 --> 00:16:48.696 'Cause we have a wall in our golf house of all, like, individual winners, and I think it's really cool being able to see my name up there with, like, the Gordon Sargents and, like, Cole Sherwoods and those guys. 111 00:16:48.756 --> 00:16:53.896 I think it's really special. Yeah. Cole just won on the Korn Ferry Tour last week. Yeah, it was, it was neat. 112 00:16:53.976 --> 00:17:04.436 We were following that, like, all Sunday during our practice round, and it was, it was pretty special to see him win, which is cool. And you, I mean, you've gotten to play with obviously very, very good... 113 00:17:04.496 --> 00:17:16.436 I mean, Gordon Sargent was the number one amateur in the world. You get to be with him and, and be a teammate, and then you've also gotten to compete against some of the best amateurs in the world. 114 00:17:16.756 --> 00:17:26.296 I think you were paired with Jackson Kovin earlier this spring. Yeah, I was. I've seen Jackson Kovin play. I went to the Walker Cup, so I, I followed him for a little bit. Just a, a fascinating person to watch. 115 00:17:26.336 --> 00:17:34.276 W- what was that experience like playing with Jackson or just in general competing at this level in college golf and all the different talents you've gotten to compete against? 116 00:17:35.176 --> 00:17:45.876 Yeah, so I guess I got to play with Jackson our home event the first two rounds, and I would say I was, I was probably a little bit nervous playing with him, for sure, 'cause it was obviously the first time I've played with someone, like, that big. 117 00:17:46.036 --> 00:17:56.984 Um, and I just kind of learned... Like, I was able to learn a lot about his game. I felt like he just didn't... He does everything really well, and then he'll just-Casually make like a 25, 30 footer every now and again. 118 00:17:57.044 --> 00:18:05.944 So it's just like, oh, okay. I don't really do that enough to be the number one amateur in the world right now. But yeah, so I think I was just able to learn a lot. 119 00:18:06.024 --> 00:18:16.104 He just does everything really well, and he's a pretty cool guy as well. He's pretty fun to play with. But, um, I think just playing with all these top guys, you learn a lot, and the talent in college golf is so deep. 120 00:18:16.244 --> 00:18:25.904 Like, I can feel like I don't play, like, super, super well, but, like, not bad and I'm finishing, like, 40th in the golf tournament, whereas junior golf you're like, "Okay, I just finished, like, eighth. Totally fine." 121 00:18:26.043 --> 00:18:31.964 But it really just... You have to, like, play well every week to really play really good, which I think is... 122 00:18:32.144 --> 00:18:38.024 I think it's a lot better because it kind of translate to how pro golf is gonna be, like on the Korn Ferry Tour, where you just gotta take it deep every week. 123 00:18:38.244 --> 00:18:48.604 So I think it's just a really good, like, stepping stone place you can learn from, playing with all these good guys. Yeah, for sure. I mean, it is the... There is so much [laughs] talent. And I just... 124 00:18:48.644 --> 00:18:51.424 Even looking at scores every week, it's like guys are shooting. 125 00:18:51.544 --> 00:19:01.294 And if you're not shooting at least one round in, like, the mid-60s, like you said, you're kind of in the middle of the pack, maybe touching the, the bottom part of the first third of the leaderboard if you can't- Mm-hmm... 126 00:19:01.324 --> 00:19:09.364 go, like, super low at least once. It's... Does that... Do you put... You say you watch leaderboards. Do you, when you get to the tournament, do you have a number in mind? 127 00:19:09.424 --> 00:19:21.104 Are you still just very much like, "I've got my process. I know what I need to do on this golf course, and I want my team to win, and I want to help my team win, and whatever else happens, happens"? Yeah. 128 00:19:21.204 --> 00:19:31.444 Uh, I would say, like, if we're going to a golf course that we're familiar with, like you can use La Costa for an example, I kind of know how it's gonna play because I know what the weather's gonna be like down in Carlsbad. 129 00:19:31.544 --> 00:19:35.584 So I kind of have... I guess if you're gonna win, you kind of can have a number in mind. 130 00:19:35.684 --> 00:19:45.344 But, like, I always will just have my process and just kind of stick to it for the most part and just kind of figure out what the best I can do, uh, with what I got that week is. 131 00:19:45.384 --> 00:19:53.424 So I guess, yeah, like, which is odd because, so coach coached at our regional site in 2019, and it played so much harder than this year. 132 00:19:54.004 --> 00:20:05.024 So I wouldn't say I had a number in mind, but I was a little shocked to see how the scoring was, which I guess when you get to the golf course it made sense, 'cause it was not a lot of wind, it was hot, ball was going far, and it's, it was a pretty soft golf course. 133 00:20:05.944 --> 00:20:14.604 But like, even like just looking at like... 'Cause I didn't feel like I played awful this week by any standards. I finished, I shoot even par for the week. I finished like 39th, which is crazy. 134 00:20:14.804 --> 00:20:22.244 Just, like, you gotta, you just gotta really step on it. But at the same time, like, we won the regional, so I don't really care where I finished. 135 00:20:22.253 --> 00:20:32.924 It just really is much about the team, and we're just all so pumped to be still going on the right track to national championship. I mean, you, you have a dad who played professionally. 136 00:20:33.564 --> 00:20:46.384 You have an uncle who played and is a, is a pro at, at Country Club of Wilbraham. You're like, you're kind of part of this Western Mass, like, golfing legacy family. Been honored a, a bunch just as a family. 137 00:20:47.364 --> 00:20:54.784 And you were just talking about Korn Ferry Tour, and obviously you're, you're thinking about turning pro. Do you talk, do you talk about that stuff with, with them? 138 00:20:54.884 --> 00:21:02.943 Do you pick their brain about what their life was like grinding on tours and trying to make paychecks? [laughs] Yeah, I guess a little bit. 139 00:21:03.024 --> 00:21:13.864 I feel like I haven't probably too much now, 'cause I'm kind of j- I feel like I don't want to focus so much on that until college is over, I would say, just 'cause I am really enjoying my time here. 140 00:21:13.924 --> 00:21:16.693 And just, like, I kinda wanna just take it one step at a time. 141 00:21:17.064 --> 00:21:24.484 But it's always so nice to just have their background knowledge for whenever I need it, 'cause they've kinda been around and played, played a bunch like that. 142 00:21:24.584 --> 00:21:34.404 So I feel like I'm able to learn from them as well, which is just a great resource to have. And it, it, you've, y- you know, you said you get Jackson Kovin, number one player in the world. 143 00:21:34.484 --> 00:21:47.004 You have reached, I looked it up, you're 83 in the world right now on WAGR, which is the highest you've been. Um, I believe that opened some doors for you this summer where you don't have to qualify for the US Am. 144 00:21:47.064 --> 00:21:50.924 You've got a, you've got a tee time at Merion in August, which is- Yeah... pretty awesome. 145 00:21:51.144 --> 00:21:57.364 What, like, what does that, what, what does having those little markers and knowing, like, "All right, I can, I, in August I'm going here. 146 00:21:57.404 --> 00:22:04.473 I don't have to worry about a qualifier," how does that kind of open up some of what you're thinking? I know we got nationals. I, I don't want- Mm-hmm... you to look past nationals, but just- Yeah... 147 00:22:04.484 --> 00:22:12.184 summer-wise, I'm sure you're thinking about, like, "Awesome, I'm gonna play Merion. I've got that." Mm-hmm. "I don't have to worry about signing up for a qualifier." Yeah. How does that shift things for you? 148 00:22:13.124 --> 00:22:24.304 Yeah, it's actually awesome. So I, so the first wave of exemptions for the US Am came out Wednesday, and Merion is just, like, my number one bucket list golf course I want to play. 149 00:22:24.524 --> 00:22:32.824 I'm a big, I love, like, US Open style golf courses. So when I looked at me email, I saw I got an exemption on, 'cause of WAGR. I was like, "That's so big." 150 00:22:33.354 --> 00:22:43.904 'Cause, so I already have my whole summer schedule basically lined up. I'll play Sunny Hannah, Northeast, Southern and Western, then US Am. So it'll be just really fun to kinda... 151 00:22:44.044 --> 00:22:50.864 It's really great to already know what I'm playing in, instead of even last year just kind of getting into things kinda late and just kind of being all over the place. 152 00:22:51.044 --> 00:22:59.344 So I just think it's just, like, it kind of just relieves you of a lot of stress, for sure, 'cause I just already know what I'll, where I'll be and when I'll be there, so it'll be fun. 153 00:22:59.904 --> 00:23:08.084 Yeah, I mean, qualifiers and just having to schedule those, and then not sure if [laughs] you're gonna get through. You gotta leave a week open- Mm-hmm... that might end up e- like, empty. Yeah. 154 00:23:08.704 --> 00:23:16.754 That's, that's awesome that you've got all of those. Have you played, obviously the Northeast you've played, and the Southern you've played. Have you played the Western before? No, I didn't qualify. 155 00:23:16.754 --> 00:23:25.964 You were an alternate last. Yeah, I- You, you were on the edge last year. I think I was on the... I didn't really try to get in too hard, just 'cause I kind of played enough events, I would say. 'Cause- Yeah... 156 00:23:25.974 --> 00:23:35.544 I played Sunny Hannah as well last year, which is kind of a quirky golf course, but I really like it 'cause it's kind of like a Northeast style golf course. Big, big slopey greens, which is good. 157 00:23:35.904 --> 00:23:43.544 But yeah, I mean, the Western's kind of one of the more grueling tests, I think it's supposed to be. So I'm kind of really looking forward to that one this year. 158 00:23:44.544 --> 00:23:57.344 You're gonna have to get your rest before the Western and the, [laughs] and the US Am. Yeah. For sure. [laughs] It's just a marathon. Mm-hmm. All right, I wanna just finish off with, like, nationals. 159 00:23:58.284 --> 00:24:01.024 What's the team mood? How are you feeling heading... 160 00:24:01.344 --> 00:24:11.488 You leave on Monday.You just, [laughs] you told me before we hit record when I asked you how much time you had, you, you have a, you have a very important p- meeting in ab- or a massage in about an hour. 161 00:24:11.528 --> 00:24:17.627 So you guys are, like, looking after yourselves. Classes are done, finals are done. You're kind of, like, in this mode. So what's, what... 162 00:24:17.768 --> 00:24:22.308 how do, how do you guys feel as a team getting ready to get on that plane and go out to La Costa? 163 00:24:23.388 --> 00:24:35.468 Yeah, I, I think as a team, our team morale's really, really good right now, uh, 'cause obviously getting our first win of the spring really helps in beating the number one team in the country in Auburn by a couple shots, which also really helps. 164 00:24:35.547 --> 00:24:45.928 I think, you know, our team belief that we can definitely go win a national championship is certainly there, but we just gotta kinda take it one step at a time, one round at a time, and kinda just see where we're at. 165 00:24:45.988 --> 00:24:54.408 But I think kind of, we really kind of are getting back to where we were in the fall, where we were, I think, finished as the number three ranked team in the country. 166 00:24:54.508 --> 00:25:04.028 Um, I think that team is kind of coming back to light. Obviously, we had a young lineup this spring, and kinda getting some other freshmen in there, kinda just learning their places, which is really good. 167 00:25:04.058 --> 00:25:10.048 And then I guess for my game, I feel like I'm definitely starting to turn a corner, as I've kinda struggled the last few events, I would say. 168 00:25:10.168 --> 00:25:19.268 But I notice a lot of really good things about my game this week at regionals, especially the last nine holes when it was starting to get a little tight for that advancing position. 169 00:25:19.368 --> 00:25:26.748 And I just kinda told myself I had to really lock in and make a couple birdies, and I was fortunate enough to hit it well and make a couple putts and, and do that for the team. 170 00:25:27.068 --> 00:25:35.368 So I think overall, I think us and myself are feeling really good heading into this week, and I think we can do some damage. Yeah, and you got a week to prepare. I mean, you start... 171 00:25:35.928 --> 00:25:42.808 The women's, the women's event will be going on while you're there for- Mm-hmm... um, so you get to see them at least play the golf course or get a sense of it. 172 00:25:43.188 --> 00:25:54.178 And then just for people who are, the format of the national championship is, uh, is it 54 qualifying holes or 72? So we got the... It's 30 teams. 173 00:25:54.288 --> 00:26:04.868 You got the first 54 holes every team plays, and then it cuts to the top 15 teams for the last round- That's right... of stroke play, and then eight make match play. Okay. So yeah. 174 00:26:05.828 --> 00:26:15.228 And then, and then you just match play for the, for the championship. Just- Mm-hmm. Awesome. Yeah. Well, I mean, I'm gonna wish you good luck. We'll be following along. 175 00:26:15.708 --> 00:26:25.288 Um, it's exciting to have someone f- from here out in California competing, and, um, yeah, that's all I got for you. Anything else you wanna close with? You f- look like you're feeling pretty good. Yeah. 176 00:26:25.568 --> 00:26:32.808 D- I'm, I'm just ready to get to California. Just ready to get on the road and ready to, ready to go try to win a natty with the boys. Awesome. It'll be fun. Awesome. 177 00:26:32.848 --> 00:26:40.148 Good luck, and we'll see you, uh, we'll see you around this summer for sure at some of those, uh, some- Yeah. I will, I'll definitely see you out there this summer, for sure. Yeah. Thanks, Ryan. 178 00:26:41.748 --> 00:26:54.968 [upbeat music]