North Carolina State University Athletics
Q&A with Men's Golfer Matt Hill
4/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
RALEIGH, N.C. The NC State men’s golf team has been on a roll this season. The Pack has been ranked in the top-25 all spring, including No. 24 this week, has finished second in five of the nine tournaments this school year, and now gets ready to compete at the 2009 ACC Championship this weekend.
Sophomore Matt Hill has led the way for the Pack this season. He has four tournaments wins this school year, including three in the spring. Hill has won three of the last four tournaments, and he has finished in the top-15 in all nine tournaments this season.
Hill is ranked No. 4 nationally, and recently stopped by to discuss the Pack and the upcoming ACC Championship.
GoPack: You’ve been on a hot streak this spring winning three of the last four tournaments. Talk about your improved play since last season.
Hill: I really haven’t been playing that much different this season, I’ve just been trying to get every part of my game better. I worked out a lot in the offseason, and my main goals this year have just been to get every aspect of my game a little better. I think for the most part I have, and its starting to show in the spring.
GoPack: All of your wins have been while you held the lead most of the third round, is there extra pressure for you when you know your winning?
Hill: There probably is a little bit of pressure in those situations, but I honestly like being in that position. I really try not to think about being in the lead, I just try to think about what I did the last couple of days to get into the lead. I usually don’t like to know where I stand until the last couple of holes.
GoPack: What has been your best tournament this season?
Hill: I would say down at Myrtle Beach, at the General Hackler Tournament. It was a really tough setup and I finished three-under par on a very challenging course. I feel like the final round was my best round of the season. It wasn’t my lowest round, but with the conditions and the fact it was my first win of the spring made it good in my opinion.
GoPack: Talk about the team this season. You guys have been in the top-25 all season, and have five second place finishes.
Hill: Out team is playing great right now. It seems we have done just about everything but won a tournament. I feel we have really good chances going into the ACC Championships and then the NCAA Regionals. Everybody is playing really well right now, and we all seem to be feeding off each other. We have some pretty high expectations, so we just need to go out there and play our game.
GoPack: This past week, you guys were up big after two rounds, but Duke came back and captured the tournament win. How has that affected the team?
Hill: Of course we would have wanted to win, but it was actually a big learning experience for us. We didn’t come out and play our best in that third round, and I think that will provide us with even more motivation at the ACCs to finish the job.
GoPack: There are four teams ranked in the top-25, and three individuals ranked in the top-six nationally. Talk about the depth of the ACC.
Hill: I feel like the ACC has to be one of the top-three conferences in the country, probably up there with the SEC and PAC-10. I think it is really strong and competitive and has some outstanding individuals. I think we can compete with any of the teams in our conference.
GoPack: What will it take for this team to win the ACCs.
Hill: I heard the course conditions might be a bit tougher this year, but he scores are usually pretty low. I think last year Florida State won shooting 30-under, so we are going to have to shoot some pretty low rounds and count some rounds in the 60s in each round. From top to bottom, we all have to play well for all three rounds.
GoPack: What kind of leadership does Darren Blair provide as a senior?
Hill: Darren has a really fiery game, he is really aggressive. When I first came to NC State, he was the one I looked up to him and had a lot of respect for his game. I think he has a ton of potential, and is a great leader for this team.
GoPack: A fellow Canadian has played well with back-to-back top-20 finishes, what improvement have you seen in junior Brad Revell recently?
Hill: Brad has played great the last couple of tournaments. Last weekend he was only a couple shots off the lead going into the final round, just struggles a bit on that back-nine. But overall he is playing so good right now. He is starting to putt really well and just hitting it really well right now.
GoPack: After not making the lineup in the fall, senior Andrew Byrd has played in five spring tournaments. Talk about what he has brought to the lineup.
Hill: In the fall Andrew got a new swing coach, and he worked on that swing a lot. It has improved a ton and he is hitting it a lot better. He has had some really good tournaments for us, and has helped us since he joined the lineup.
GoPack: Sophomore Brandon Detweiler redshirted last season, but has been a constant in the lineup so far this year, what does he bring to the team?
Hill: Brandon hits it really well, he hits it a mile. He is the longest hitter on the team, and I think he might be one of the longest in Division I. If he could just make a few more putts, his scores would be up there with anybody.
Sophomore Matt Hill has led the way for the Pack this season. He has four tournaments wins this school year, including three in the spring. Hill has won three of the last four tournaments, and he has finished in the top-15 in all nine tournaments this season.
Hill is ranked No. 4 nationally, and recently stopped by to discuss the Pack and the upcoming ACC Championship.
GoPack: You’ve been on a hot streak this spring winning three of the last four tournaments. Talk about your improved play since last season.
Hill: I really haven’t been playing that much different this season, I’ve just been trying to get every part of my game better. I worked out a lot in the offseason, and my main goals this year have just been to get every aspect of my game a little better. I think for the most part I have, and its starting to show in the spring.
GoPack: All of your wins have been while you held the lead most of the third round, is there extra pressure for you when you know your winning?
Hill: There probably is a little bit of pressure in those situations, but I honestly like being in that position. I really try not to think about being in the lead, I just try to think about what I did the last couple of days to get into the lead. I usually don’t like to know where I stand until the last couple of holes.
GoPack: What has been your best tournament this season?
Hill: I would say down at Myrtle Beach, at the General Hackler Tournament. It was a really tough setup and I finished three-under par on a very challenging course. I feel like the final round was my best round of the season. It wasn’t my lowest round, but with the conditions and the fact it was my first win of the spring made it good in my opinion.
GoPack: Talk about the team this season. You guys have been in the top-25 all season, and have five second place finishes.
Hill: Out team is playing great right now. It seems we have done just about everything but won a tournament. I feel we have really good chances going into the ACC Championships and then the NCAA Regionals. Everybody is playing really well right now, and we all seem to be feeding off each other. We have some pretty high expectations, so we just need to go out there and play our game.
GoPack: This past week, you guys were up big after two rounds, but Duke came back and captured the tournament win. How has that affected the team?
Hill: Of course we would have wanted to win, but it was actually a big learning experience for us. We didn’t come out and play our best in that third round, and I think that will provide us with even more motivation at the ACCs to finish the job.
GoPack: There are four teams ranked in the top-25, and three individuals ranked in the top-six nationally. Talk about the depth of the ACC.
Hill: I feel like the ACC has to be one of the top-three conferences in the country, probably up there with the SEC and PAC-10. I think it is really strong and competitive and has some outstanding individuals. I think we can compete with any of the teams in our conference.
GoPack: What will it take for this team to win the ACCs.
Hill: I heard the course conditions might be a bit tougher this year, but he scores are usually pretty low. I think last year Florida State won shooting 30-under, so we are going to have to shoot some pretty low rounds and count some rounds in the 60s in each round. From top to bottom, we all have to play well for all three rounds.
GoPack: What kind of leadership does Darren Blair provide as a senior?
Hill: Darren has a really fiery game, he is really aggressive. When I first came to NC State, he was the one I looked up to him and had a lot of respect for his game. I think he has a ton of potential, and is a great leader for this team.
GoPack: A fellow Canadian has played well with back-to-back top-20 finishes, what improvement have you seen in junior Brad Revell recently?
Hill: Brad has played great the last couple of tournaments. Last weekend he was only a couple shots off the lead going into the final round, just struggles a bit on that back-nine. But overall he is playing so good right now. He is starting to putt really well and just hitting it really well right now.
GoPack: After not making the lineup in the fall, senior Andrew Byrd has played in five spring tournaments. Talk about what he has brought to the lineup.
Hill: In the fall Andrew got a new swing coach, and he worked on that swing a lot. It has improved a ton and he is hitting it a lot better. He has had some really good tournaments for us, and has helped us since he joined the lineup.
GoPack: Sophomore Brandon Detweiler redshirted last season, but has been a constant in the lineup so far this year, what does he bring to the team?
Hill: Brandon hits it really well, he hits it a mile. He is the longest hitter on the team, and I think he might be one of the longest in Division I. If he could just make a few more putts, his scores would be up there with anybody.
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