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FEATURE: Golf Teams Get Inside The Ropes At Club Car Championship

| By: By Donald Heath
Nick Macsuga tees off during the Pro’s vs. Pro’s Shootout at the 2022 Club Car Championship. [Photo by Tim Zielenbach courtesy PGA]
Savannah, Ga.— Savannah State University golfers had a rare opportunity recently to learn the ropes from inside the ropes.

Coach Christopher Miller's men's and women's squads volunteered at the Club Car Championship when the Korn Ferry Tour came to the Deer Creek Course at The Landings Club March 28 to April 3.

"On the surface, our players get a chance to interact with the professionals and see how they conduct their business and gauge how the gentlemen play the game versus how we do it sometimes," Miller said.

Miller said the tournament director reached out for help and the Tigers were more than happy to lend a hand for the second straight year.

Miller built times and shifts around the players' class schedules. Three played alongside a professional during the Pro's vs. Pro's Shootout on Monday.

Junior Nick Macsuga was one of five SSU players to caddie for a professional during the four-day tournament. Macsuga's player, Zecheng Dou, made his pro debut at 17 and was a rookie on the PGA Tour in 2017-18. Four years later, he's working to return to the Tour by playing in the Korn Ferry Tour.

"It was pretty cool, to be honest, to see how consistent they are and how they maintain themselves," Macsuga said. "Me hitting a good shot and them hitting a good shot are about the same, but my bad shots are way worse."

Macsuga was particularly interested in seeing Dou tame the gusty winds during Thursday's opening round.

"Watching him play into the wind was unbelievable," Macsuga said. "When we're playing in the wind, maybe we start overthinking it, but when (the professionals) are playing they're just hitting like they normally do – just clubbing up and hitting it."

Miller didn't mind Macsuga seeing another approach to the game.

"Let's face it. If they hear the same things from me over and over again, they may lose touch, but if they hear the professional say it in the middle of a round of golf, that's going to carry considerable weight," Miller said.

Dou finished the first round with a bogey-free 65 – one shot off the lead, but went 77, 73, 70 the rest of the way for a 3-under 285, tied for 31st.

"During the first two practice rounds, it was like getting to know each other," Macsuga said. "In the tournament rounds, we kept the mood light. I think we were talking about boats, basketball and the Saudi golf league walking down 18.

"At the end, he said if I needed anything to reach out. It was nice to know someone of that caliber was willing to help me."
Junior Todd Norman also had a chance to caddie.

"As a golfer, watching those pros play was an unbelievable experience," Norman said. "A few times, I was picking his brain about how he'd play a certain hole on the course." 

It wasn't always glamorous. Freshman Mark Greene talked about running errands, filling coolers with ice and doing "anything that needed to be done."

Sophomore Devin Smith helped put up scoreboards.

"You get to see what it takes to put together an event like that," Smith said. "It's a lot more than what people see when they see the finished product."

Smith also caddied and played in the Shootout.

"Even on the first hole, seeing everyone with their yardage books out, how they approach the shot, it makes you understand what you have to do," Smith said. "It's really eye-opening. I really enjoyed it."

Sophomore Miracle Goolsby delivered snacks and drinks to the players, the media center and hospitality areas.

"It was nice to know what goes into a tournament," she said. "It felt good to give back to the game."

Miller said the volunteers gained a positive experience while representing Savannah State in a positive light.

And who knows, maybe one day, a Tiger golfer may be involved in putting on a tournament.

"Not everyone on the team is going to make the Tour so if they want to stay in the golf world, this gives them some exposure and names of people to contact," Miller said. "It's certainly a resume line. This transcends our golf team into post-college life."
 
 
 
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