I’ve been golfing since I could walk. My dad started around 25, but my grandfather always played, so it’s been in the family. There’s a picture of me when I first learned to walk on a putting green with a little putter.
What’s the most challenging thing about golf?
The mental aspect. I'd say that's what makes golf so hard. There's some weeks where you're hitting it really well and then all of a sudden, you're not, and your confidence starts to fall. It's a game that you'll vary a lot and you have to be mentally tough, mentally strong and believe in yourself and sometimes that's hard. If you're hitting bad shots in a tournament and you're nervous, it's hard to keep doing that.
You played in the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur. How did you qualify and what was that experience like?
They do 18 holes, a local qualifier. The top two normally go. I was second. I shot a 3-under [par] in that qualifier, and then the tournament was at a country club in North Carolina. … You’re treated like a pro. You have a whole locker for yourself. You get things with your name on them, a bunch of gifts. … You’re playing with the world’s best. I played with the number one ranked European golfer both days, and it almost seemed like he was already a pro. That was definitely a cool experience to be with top players and knowing that I got myself there, I have the capability to be playing with them.
Was that a confidence boost or did you feel like you belonged going into it?
I definitely felt good that I got there, but when I was there I was definitely nervous. I probably put too much pressure on myself just because that's probably the biggest event for a junior to play in, and you're with all the best players. I don't think I allowed myself to just play golf. I probably got in my head a little but it was a good learning experience
Lehigh men’s golf just won its first Patriot League title in a decade. What was it like to be part of that?
It was unbelievable. … [On the final hole] I left my birdie putt this short (motioning an inch with his index finger and thumb), and I was kind of mad because I thought maybe we would need that to win. But then I’m like, ‘What’s the deal?’ [Learning from teammate Edmund Broderick ’24 that they were ahead by five strokes,] I kind of lost it. I started going crazy, freaking out like, ‘Wow, we did it!’ I had to walk back to the clubhouse, and I ran over to my team before I even put the scores in. I was so excited, and we all started hugging each other, some of them were crying. It was a crazy feeling to have such a big part in it, to finish in third individually and have all my scores count. I felt like I was a big part. It was pretty awesome, a pretty cool feeling.
