North Carolina State University Athletics
Something Completely Unexpected (7/1/09)
7/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
Editor’s note: NCAA champion Matt Hill tees off Thursday at 9:02 a.m. with Aron Price and Chris Stroud from the No. 10 tee at Congressional Country Club in the AT&T National. You can follow his round at PGATour.com.
Well, this was completely unexpected.
When I planned my summer schedule, this was the 10-day period I had set aside to relax and recharge from the rigors of the college golf season and all the great things that I experienced. Right after the NCAA Championship, I played in a US Open sectional qualifier and then joined my Canadian National Team members in going to England to compete in the British Amateur, so I remained almost as busy in June as I was in April and May.
I had planned to sit back and do nothing this week, except maybe enjoy a quiet Canada Day (which is today for those of you who don’t celebrate this important event). On Friday, however, I received a phone call from someone at The Tiger Woods Foundation, telling me I had received a sponsor’s exemption to play in the AT&T National, the event that Tiger has hosted the last three years at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.
It was, to put it mildly, an offer I couldn’t refuse: a chance to play in my first career PGA Tour event, with a personal invitation from the greatest golfer in the world. Okay, not exactly personal. To this point, I have never met Tiger Woods, but I am hoping that changes over the next couple of days. I just want to say “Thank you for having me here.”
So I was not planning to play this week at all. But Monday, I participated in a pro-am with some members of the Tiger Woods Foundation and Tuesday I played a practice round with PGA Tour veterans James Driscoll, a former Virginia player, and John Merrick, who played a UCLA. Wednesday, the tournament had another pro-am that was limited to the top players on tour, so I spent the morning practicing my game.
This has been a pretty eye-opening experience. I got a sweet Mercedes courtesy car when I checked in, and the treatment of all the players in the tournament is beyond compare. I have also gotten the chance to hang around with a lot of the players I have looked up to my whole life. I met Fred Couples the other day, and Davis Love III. I already knew Mike Weir, who grew up in the same home town as me, but we got to spend a little more time together. So, even before the tournament started, I had an unbelievable week.
But, the reason I am here is to play golf. I hope one day to be a professional golfer, so this could be a glimpse at my future. I have a few goals in mind for the week: to play well, to make the cut and to see what parts of my game I need to improve to be out here all the time.
I know I have played in some big events this year the ACC Championship, the NCAA Central Regional, the NCAA Championship, the British Amateur but I will probably be a little nervous when I tee off tomorrow. For one thing, there will be a much bigger gallery than I am used to at college events.
But, when it comes down to it, I want to act like this is just another event, just another tournament. I want to stick to my game plan, control my game and enjoy myself as much as I can. I don’t want to worry about anything else that is going on.
I know this will be a really good experience for me going forward. I want to learn a few different shots and see just how good these guys out here on tour actually are and whether my game is good enough to compete with them. I really just want to take in everything and have a good time.
