Photo by: Frank Fortune - Georgia Southern Athletics
Men’s Golf: Wolfes Walks the Line
5/12/2015 3:59:00 PM | Men's Golf
Eagles play in the Noblesville NCAA Regional beginning Thursday at The Sagamore Club
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STATESBORO, Ga. – Perhaps it was instilled in him by his parents, stepparents and grandparents. Maybe it was always playing sports against older kids. Possibly, it's because he was the kid from the public golf course who wanted to prove himself against his private-club buddies.
Whatever the reason, Georgia Southern's Scott Wolfes has an ultracompetitive fire in his belly, and he carries it with him on the golf course. The senior is never in awe of a challenge or moment and always able to scratch and claw and fight, even when his best game is not with him.
"I feel I play better when there's more of a sense of urgency to get it done," says Wolfes. "I've got to have the blinders on and just go. I don't like to lose at anything."
Fanning the competitive flame has helped him advance to match play at three prominent USGA events and win four college tournaments, including Georgia Southern's own Schenkel Invitational, one of the most prestigious in the country.
It aided his ability to shoot a course record 63 at Turtle Point to take co-medalist honors at the Wendy's Kiawah Classic earlier this season, and it's a big reason why he has finished in the top-20 in 30 of his collegiate starts, including 15 in the top-5, and has a chance to reach his goal of playing on the PGA Tour one day.
"There are swingers – guys with pure golf swings - and there are players, and Scott is a player," says Georgia Southern Director of Golf Larry Mays. "His short game is really good and he putts really well. He's definitely one of the top four or five players to ever play at Georgia Southern."
Golf coach Carter Collins says Wolfes has "grindability" and knew he was special when he fired a 67 in the howling wind at The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island in 2012, just a short month after the PGA Championship was played there. The course was extremely difficult, and the weather made it almost unbearable. The next lowest score that day was a 70 and only four other players in the field of 95 shot under par.
"That 67 in those conditions was like shooting in the low 60s," says Collins. "Scott is very competitive in everything he does and definitely has the fire to win, but he doesn't ride the emotional roller coaster a lot of players ride. He doesn't get too high or too low and that helps him stay focused for 18 holes and make up ground on most players who lose shots because they get too excited or too mad."
Igniting the Flame
Wolfes, who hails from St. Simons Island, Ga., started playing golf at the age of nine. One of his boyhood friends, Dru Love, who is now a sophomore on the golf team at Alabama, is the son of PGA Tour pro Davis Love III. While he learned to play at the local public courses, his friends perfected their swings at private clubs.
At the age of 11, he played in his first tournaments with Love and Tyler McCumber, the son of PGA Tour pro Mark McCumber. They shot around par, and Wolfes was trying to break triple digits.
"I started out getting beat a lot, and I couldn't stand it," says Wolfes. "It made me work harder and want to get better. As soon as I got out of school, I was on the golf course until it was too dark."
Playing on public courses also made Wolfes a shot maker. He started out spending quite a bit of time hitting out of the woods, dealing with bad lies and putting on greens that did not roll true. His "grindability" was born.
"You have to be able to hit shots," he says. "I started off learning how to play from the woods to hitting it on the green and dealing with bad lies. On a public course, you are hitting off bad lies all the time so when I went to a nice course, I loved it and felt like I could play even better."
Playing on the public tracks also fanned the flame of competition. Wolfes developed a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
"They had their private club tournaments, and I couldn't play in them," says Wolfes. "I wanted to be good enough to be in a private club one day with all my friends."
Tough Love
Almost as recognizable as Wolfes' trademark visor on the course is the straw hat of Flo Anderson, his grandmother. His grandparents have been spectators at almost every one of his college tournaments, and Flo rivals the GolfStat phone App as a barometer of how Scott is playing.
No matter how the day goes, the former owner of The 4th of May Café in St. Simons somehow finds the energy after the ups and downs of following her grandson for 18 holes to whip up some delicious team dinners. After a fantastic 36-hole day gave the Eagles a 20-stroke lead headed into the last round of the Sun Belt Championship this year, the team was treated with homemade chicken pot pie.
His family has cultivated Wolfes' competitive nature, always reminding him to be gracious in victory and respectful in defeat. There are plenty of hugs to go around in the Wolfes-Moore-Anderson families, but you most certainly do not get a trophy merely for participation.
"You might get a pat on the back for trying hard, but you're not getting a trophy if you don't win," says Scott. "Not everybody wins. If you want to excel, you have to work hard and put in the time."
They have also instilled in him a sense of confidence and calmness when the pressure is at its highest. Wolfes' stepfather, Dan Moore, is the Boys basketball coach at Glynn Academy and has coached some pretty good teams and great players there, most notably Kwame Brown, the first overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft. Scott played for Dan in high school and was put in plenty of pressure situations in big games with teammates counting on him.
"Having to hit the shot and then hitting it under pressure - not everybody has that – having the faith in yourself that you've done it before and can do it again goes a long way," says Wolfes. "If you need to make a putt, man up and make the putt. Don't play scared, which when you see someone playing bad golf, that's usually when they are playing scared. If you have one bad thought before you pull that club back, it's not going to be good."
Despite not playing in many national tournaments, Wolfes made a name for himself in junior golf around the Southeast so much so that Collins and Mays thought he might be headed to an SEC school in Athens. They stayed on him, watching him in tournaments and maintaining contact, and finally got him to visit Georgia Southern. A tour of campus and the facilities opened Scott's eyes to a new opportunity.
"I've played in more college tournaments than probably anyone in the country and that's helped me a lot," says Wolfes. "That's one of the reasons I wanted to come here."
It turned out to be a great decision and certainly provided the playing experience he was looking for. Wolfes has been in the lineup for all 45 tournaments the Eagles have competed in since he arrived in the fall of 2011.
The Future
Wolfes has his sights squarely set on a career as a professional golfer. He sees what some of the guys who he competed against in college and U.S. Amateur events – like Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger - are accomplishing. His knows his game is good enough.
"He has faced all these guys and held his own if not beat them," says Collins.
"It's exciting to see their success because it helps me know I can get there one day," says Wolfes. "You just have to compete, learn from your mistakes and try and get better."
Keeping his competitive flame at the proper height may be the key to a long career in professional golf. There are times to push the envelope and fire at the pin, and there are times to take your medicine and a make bogey by taking triple bogey out of play. That comes with experience, and Wolfes has learned a lot by playing 134 rounds of competitive college golf.
"I feel like I've learned so much in the last few years - how to play smart and knowing when to be aggressive," says Wolfes. "I've learned that you don't have to play perfect golf to win a golf tournament. One birdie on every three holes is just as good as three birdies in a row, a couple pars and couple bogies. Just stay patient."
He has improved with his course management. He feels like his swing is more consistent, and he is gotten better with his wedges, chipping and putting. His progress over the last four years has been steady and continuing that trend will be a key to getting where he wants to go.
"I want to keep steadily improving and get comfortable with playing professional golf and get used to that environment," says Wolfes. "Just like the transition to college golf, there's a transition to professional golf that I have to go through and get comfortable with."
A Final Feather
There is one final piece he can add to his bulky Georgia Southern resume before starting the journey towards professional golf – helping the Eagles earn a spot in the NCAA Championship finals. To do that, Georgia Southern needs to finish in the top-5 at the Noblesville Regional this week. Play in the 54-hole event begins Thursday at The Sagamore Club.
Georgia Southern last advanced in 2010 and this will be the third straight regional appearance with Wolfes in the lineup. The first year in Columbus did not go well, and the Eagles were right on the edge in the final round in San Antonio last year until things went south on their final nine holes.
"We just have to play like we did at the Sun Belt Championship and play solid and get off to a good start," says Wolfes. "We all have experience and have been in most every situation so I'm confident in that, and we just have to go out and do it."
Should the Eagles fare well in Indiana, the NCAA finals are at The Concession Club in Bradenton, Fla., just a shade under a five-hour drive from St. Simons, May 29-June 3.
Rest assured Flo will be there, the Eagles will be eating well and the fire will be burning brightly.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events can be purchased by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com and clicking on the tickets link in the top menu.
STATESBORO, Ga. – Perhaps it was instilled in him by his parents, stepparents and grandparents. Maybe it was always playing sports against older kids. Possibly, it's because he was the kid from the public golf course who wanted to prove himself against his private-club buddies.
Whatever the reason, Georgia Southern's Scott Wolfes has an ultracompetitive fire in his belly, and he carries it with him on the golf course. The senior is never in awe of a challenge or moment and always able to scratch and claw and fight, even when his best game is not with him.
"I feel I play better when there's more of a sense of urgency to get it done," says Wolfes. "I've got to have the blinders on and just go. I don't like to lose at anything."
Fanning the competitive flame has helped him advance to match play at three prominent USGA events and win four college tournaments, including Georgia Southern's own Schenkel Invitational, one of the most prestigious in the country.
It aided his ability to shoot a course record 63 at Turtle Point to take co-medalist honors at the Wendy's Kiawah Classic earlier this season, and it's a big reason why he has finished in the top-20 in 30 of his collegiate starts, including 15 in the top-5, and has a chance to reach his goal of playing on the PGA Tour one day.
"There are swingers – guys with pure golf swings - and there are players, and Scott is a player," says Georgia Southern Director of Golf Larry Mays. "His short game is really good and he putts really well. He's definitely one of the top four or five players to ever play at Georgia Southern."
Golf coach Carter Collins says Wolfes has "grindability" and knew he was special when he fired a 67 in the howling wind at The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island in 2012, just a short month after the PGA Championship was played there. The course was extremely difficult, and the weather made it almost unbearable. The next lowest score that day was a 70 and only four other players in the field of 95 shot under par.
"That 67 in those conditions was like shooting in the low 60s," says Collins. "Scott is very competitive in everything he does and definitely has the fire to win, but he doesn't ride the emotional roller coaster a lot of players ride. He doesn't get too high or too low and that helps him stay focused for 18 holes and make up ground on most players who lose shots because they get too excited or too mad."
Igniting the Flame
Wolfes, who hails from St. Simons Island, Ga., started playing golf at the age of nine. One of his boyhood friends, Dru Love, who is now a sophomore on the golf team at Alabama, is the son of PGA Tour pro Davis Love III. While he learned to play at the local public courses, his friends perfected their swings at private clubs.
At the age of 11, he played in his first tournaments with Love and Tyler McCumber, the son of PGA Tour pro Mark McCumber. They shot around par, and Wolfes was trying to break triple digits.
"I started out getting beat a lot, and I couldn't stand it," says Wolfes. "It made me work harder and want to get better. As soon as I got out of school, I was on the golf course until it was too dark."
Playing on public courses also made Wolfes a shot maker. He started out spending quite a bit of time hitting out of the woods, dealing with bad lies and putting on greens that did not roll true. His "grindability" was born.
"You have to be able to hit shots," he says. "I started off learning how to play from the woods to hitting it on the green and dealing with bad lies. On a public course, you are hitting off bad lies all the time so when I went to a nice course, I loved it and felt like I could play even better."
Playing on the public tracks also fanned the flame of competition. Wolfes developed a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
"They had their private club tournaments, and I couldn't play in them," says Wolfes. "I wanted to be good enough to be in a private club one day with all my friends."
Tough Love
Almost as recognizable as Wolfes' trademark visor on the course is the straw hat of Flo Anderson, his grandmother. His grandparents have been spectators at almost every one of his college tournaments, and Flo rivals the GolfStat phone App as a barometer of how Scott is playing.
No matter how the day goes, the former owner of The 4th of May Café in St. Simons somehow finds the energy after the ups and downs of following her grandson for 18 holes to whip up some delicious team dinners. After a fantastic 36-hole day gave the Eagles a 20-stroke lead headed into the last round of the Sun Belt Championship this year, the team was treated with homemade chicken pot pie.
His family has cultivated Wolfes' competitive nature, always reminding him to be gracious in victory and respectful in defeat. There are plenty of hugs to go around in the Wolfes-Moore-Anderson families, but you most certainly do not get a trophy merely for participation.
"You might get a pat on the back for trying hard, but you're not getting a trophy if you don't win," says Scott. "Not everybody wins. If you want to excel, you have to work hard and put in the time."
They have also instilled in him a sense of confidence and calmness when the pressure is at its highest. Wolfes' stepfather, Dan Moore, is the Boys basketball coach at Glynn Academy and has coached some pretty good teams and great players there, most notably Kwame Brown, the first overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft. Scott played for Dan in high school and was put in plenty of pressure situations in big games with teammates counting on him.
"Having to hit the shot and then hitting it under pressure - not everybody has that – having the faith in yourself that you've done it before and can do it again goes a long way," says Wolfes. "If you need to make a putt, man up and make the putt. Don't play scared, which when you see someone playing bad golf, that's usually when they are playing scared. If you have one bad thought before you pull that club back, it's not going to be good."
Despite not playing in many national tournaments, Wolfes made a name for himself in junior golf around the Southeast so much so that Collins and Mays thought he might be headed to an SEC school in Athens. They stayed on him, watching him in tournaments and maintaining contact, and finally got him to visit Georgia Southern. A tour of campus and the facilities opened Scott's eyes to a new opportunity.
"I've played in more college tournaments than probably anyone in the country and that's helped me a lot," says Wolfes. "That's one of the reasons I wanted to come here."
It turned out to be a great decision and certainly provided the playing experience he was looking for. Wolfes has been in the lineup for all 45 tournaments the Eagles have competed in since he arrived in the fall of 2011.
The Future
Wolfes has his sights squarely set on a career as a professional golfer. He sees what some of the guys who he competed against in college and U.S. Amateur events – like Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger - are accomplishing. His knows his game is good enough.
"He has faced all these guys and held his own if not beat them," says Collins.
"It's exciting to see their success because it helps me know I can get there one day," says Wolfes. "You just have to compete, learn from your mistakes and try and get better."
Keeping his competitive flame at the proper height may be the key to a long career in professional golf. There are times to push the envelope and fire at the pin, and there are times to take your medicine and a make bogey by taking triple bogey out of play. That comes with experience, and Wolfes has learned a lot by playing 134 rounds of competitive college golf.
"I feel like I've learned so much in the last few years - how to play smart and knowing when to be aggressive," says Wolfes. "I've learned that you don't have to play perfect golf to win a golf tournament. One birdie on every three holes is just as good as three birdies in a row, a couple pars and couple bogies. Just stay patient."
He has improved with his course management. He feels like his swing is more consistent, and he is gotten better with his wedges, chipping and putting. His progress over the last four years has been steady and continuing that trend will be a key to getting where he wants to go.
"I want to keep steadily improving and get comfortable with playing professional golf and get used to that environment," says Wolfes. "Just like the transition to college golf, there's a transition to professional golf that I have to go through and get comfortable with."
A Final Feather
There is one final piece he can add to his bulky Georgia Southern resume before starting the journey towards professional golf – helping the Eagles earn a spot in the NCAA Championship finals. To do that, Georgia Southern needs to finish in the top-5 at the Noblesville Regional this week. Play in the 54-hole event begins Thursday at The Sagamore Club.
Georgia Southern last advanced in 2010 and this will be the third straight regional appearance with Wolfes in the lineup. The first year in Columbus did not go well, and the Eagles were right on the edge in the final round in San Antonio last year until things went south on their final nine holes.
"We just have to play like we did at the Sun Belt Championship and play solid and get off to a good start," says Wolfes. "We all have experience and have been in most every situation so I'm confident in that, and we just have to go out and do it."
Should the Eagles fare well in Indiana, the NCAA finals are at The Concession Club in Bradenton, Fla., just a shade under a five-hour drive from St. Simons, May 29-June 3.
Rest assured Flo will be there, the Eagles will be eating well and the fire will be burning brightly.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events can be purchased by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com and clicking on the tickets link in the top menu.
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