Golf, obviously, as you know, is a crazy mental sport. There’s tons of ups and downs. In those moments of downs, how do you overcome feelings of inadequacy?
It seems like you adjusted really well, really fast. You found your footing with your team. Your team members are amazing, but I’m sure that you’ve experienced some challenges, especially in the early part of your college career. How did you overcome those hurdles to get you to where you are right now?
What advice would you give to incoming freshmen, especially those who want to be college athletes like yourself, about finding their place and thriving in the new environment?
I feel like I’m pretty naturally humble by nature, but they definitely keep me grounded. They love to tease me, and I love that about them. It makes my environment a lot more free and a lot more authentic. Yes, I’m going to school and I’m playing professional golf, but they care about my well-being and health a lot. So for them to say, “Hey, take a step back. Take care of yourself, don’t burn yourself out,” I think that’s the biggest piece of advice that everyone has really given me, and that allows me to slow down somewhat and prevent myself from really spiraling into overdrive and early burnout.
Shifting gears or having a mindset of unconditional love and kindness for yourself is very important. Easier said than done. But being unconditionally patient for yourself is something I think every really good athlete tends to be able to do really well.
You talk about your village a lot. What’s the best piece of advice that your friends in college have given you?
I would encourage them to put themselves out there a little bit. When you’re on campus, everyone wants to get to know each other, friends, all that. I was very intimidated by everyone, but being able to step out of your comfort zone a little bit and understand how those around you are all in the same boat. I think those are the weeks that you really understand how you operate and how you want your friend group to be. But you can’t know unless you put yourself a little bit out there. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. That’s kind of what college is for, right before you head out to the real world. It’s a stepping stone.
The biggest challenge for me was managing my body. Everyone who comes into college and is an elite athlete knows how to play their sport, and they know how to at least train. They have a system; they have a regimented schedule. But once you’re on campus, things throw you off a little bit more. You have to balance school. It’s not just a place where you can simply play your sport and be done with the day. You still have to go back and study, and you still have to socialize. So balancing all those things requires yourself to not only have good time management, but also you have to take care of yourself. And I did well in the fall, but then I think winter really hit me hard where I did everything that I could to a 100%, and my body was fatigued. I had people around me, especially Coach Walker and my team, who were there to tell me, “Hey, you’re doing a lot. I think you should take a step back.” So I created a daily schedule to allow me to input a bit of rest, doing nothing, maybe having a really good lunch or a good meal with friends.