Trojans Hungry For Success
December 02, 1999 | Men's Golf
Dec. 2, 1999
The USC men's golf program is hungry for success. Under the leadership of Director of Golf Kurt Schuette, the 1999-2000 Trojans are poised for a return to national prominence by adhering to that old adage "the harder you work, the luckier you get."
"This is a hard working team that is growing together in maturity and talent," said Schuette. "Our goal for this year is to get everyone on the same page and to develop as players and as people. From that development will come overall success."
In his five seasons, Schuette has already coached five All-Americans, nine All-Pacific-10 Conference performers and one Academic All-American, while leading USC to two Top 10 finishes. In 1999, he's looking to add to those numbers. If this past summer's U.S. Amateur Championship is any indication, USC could be a force this season. Three returning squad members (Nick Webb, Nick Jones and John Ray Leary) qualified for that event.
"From a fundamental standpoint, we are one of the Top 10 teams in the country," said Schuette. "Most of our improvement this year will be geared around the mental side of the game. If we are able to show poise and maturity in difficult situations throughout the season, we'll definitely be a team to reckon with by the end of the year."
To reach that goal, the Trojans are looking for a number one golfer to lead the way.
"In past years we've had a true number one and that's something that's been missing the last couple years," said Schuette. "That's not neccessarily a negative, though. It can sometimes be a positive as well. We have four to six guys capable of being that true number one on this team. We are looking to develop every guy into a number one player. The closer we get to that goal, the better we'll become."
A pair of Nicks are shooting for honors this season for the Trojans: senior Nick Webb and junior Nick Jones.
Webb is USC's most experienced golfer after playing in 12 tournaments last season. This summer, he qualified for the U.S. Amateur by shooting 139 (69, 70) to finish first in the qualifying round held at Del Rio Country Club in Modesto, Calif.
"Nick is a very talented ball-striker," said Schuette. "As one of two seniors, he has seen the highs?with the team being ranked as high as No. 3 nationally? and disappointments from being on the team. I expect he'll draw strength from those experiences and will have learned what it takes for us to become a great team and for him to be a great player. With continued work in the mental aspect of his game, he'll become very good. He's the most accurate player on the team. For him, the sky is the limit."
Jones played in 10 tournaments last season. During the summer, he also qualified for the U.S. Amateur after shooting 140 (70, 71) in the qualifying round held at Pauma Valley Country Club in Pauma Valley, Calif.
"Nick Jones has improved a great deal over the past year," said Schuette. "He's one of our hardest workers, one of our best students?and that's not by coincidence. He's a great example of a student-athlete who has learned that the more disciplined he is with both school and golf, the more successful he will become. He's a well-rounded golfer and person. This past summer he worked diligently on his swing mechanics and his swing is now very sound. He just needs to learn to trust his skills and to improve his short-game. If he asserts himself, there's no limit to how good he can become."
Schuette expects sophomores John Ray Leary and Kevin Stadler to become key elements on the team after inconsistent play as freshmen. Leary and Stadler (along with freshman David Oh) are leaders of a talented youth corps at USC who will play an integral role in the success of Trojan golf.
Leary competed in nine tournaments last season as a freshman. He came on strong at the end of the year, placing 18th at the Pac-10 conference championship and ninth at the Maxwell Invitational in Ardmore, Okla., where he shot a season-low 69 in the second round. Leary also qualified for the U.S Amateur this past summer after shooting a 141 (68,73) to finish first at the qualifying round held at Mission Viejo Country Club in Mission Viejo, Calif.
"John is a good ball-striker and a great putter who came here last year with outstanding credentials,"said Schuette. "He is a very creative player who has learned a great deal about managing himself and his golf game in the past year. With continued strategic and mental improvement, he can take his place in the highest levels of collegiate golf. He tends to be a streaky player. We want to continue to build a game and philosophy that allows him to play extremely well when he's at his best but minimize mistakes when he's not at his best."
Stadler, a golfer with fine blood-lines (he's the son of PGA star and former Trojan golf team member Craig Stadler) will try to establish himself this season after playing in seven tournaments last year. This past summer, he won the Colorado State Amateur.
"Kevin has shown much improvement over the summer, mainly with his putting. He has a lot of natural ability and good intuition for the game. He was slow to adjust to the demands of collegiate life last year, but he learned a lot from the experience. He brings an emotional approach to the game and has a strong desire to prove he can compete at the highest level. He is a good mid and short iron player who hits many of his shots close to the pin. We look for him to step forward this year as a key player in our team's improvement."
Senior Mike Berg brings experience and depth to a roster that carries only six golfers. Berg played in four tournaments last year as a junior.
"Mike has matured a lot since his freshman year," said Schuette. "He has experienced both success and struggle while on this team. He has a good feel for the choices one needs to make to allow one to be successful. He has a desire to prove in his senior season that he can compete at the highest levels of Division-I golf. He's capable of that and he is working hard to further develop his skills toward becoming part of championship team."
Newcomer David Oh comes to USC with great credentials. One of the most highly recruited high school golfers in the country, Oh was the 1997 SCGA/CIF Champion. The freshman from Whitney High in Cerritos, Calif., is expected to be a significant contributor to this year's USC golf team.
"David has one of the best golf swings I've ever seen," said Schuette. "I felt he was the top high school player in the nation coming into this fall. That opinion is not based solely on his ranking and record, which are quite impressive, but rather on his future potential. He's one of the most well rounded players out of high school that I've ever recruited. He's an excellent student with a good work ethic and he has a great family background. As for his game, he hits a high percentage of his fairways and greens, which allows him to play with consistency. He needs some improvement on his short game and course management. When he becomes more consistent in this aspect of his game he will shoot low scores more frequently."
Schuette feels good about his team heading into the fall season:
"Our ball-striking in general is above average, our ability to hit a lot of fairways and greens is innate," said Schuette. "We need to work harder on managing our games. Our short games need to become sharper. When we accomplish this task, overall consistency will improve on the team and then we'll re-establish our place among the elite of collegiate golf."
