Golfer ready for Las Vegas after enjoying Puerto Rico
March 6, 2009 by NICK PARKER
Filed under Sports
After visiting Puerto Rico last weekend, the No. 1 ranked Georgia Men’s golf team will be visiting another popular tourist destination, as they head to Las Vegas to play March 13-15 in the Las Vegas Intercollegiate, where the Bulldogs will be looking for their fourth consecutive victory. Joining the men’s team in Las Vegas over break will be the Women’s Golf team, who is playing in the UNLV Spring Invitational March 9-11.
Prior to the two teams leaving, the Red & Black caught up with men’s golfer Michael Green to ask about an array of topics from their trip to Puerto Rico to the Masters to how he’d like to finish his senior campaign.
Red and Black: You grew up in Augusta. What was it like growing up in the home of the Masters?
Michael Green: Just growing up in the home of the Masters, having so many players to look up to, and a big tournament like that coming to my hometown has always given me something to practice for.
R&B: Do you ever go the Masters?
MG: Yeah, actually I used to work out there on the range in high school, and I’ve been to the Masters every year since I was young.
R&B: Any players you modeled your game after from watching them growing up?
MG: I wouldn’t say there’s one player that I model my game after, but I watched Charles Howell III play a lot of golf growing because he’s from Augusta, too, so watching him gave me a good picture of what it really takes.
R&B: You guys get to do anything interesting away from the golf course down in Puerto Rico last week?
MG: Went to the casino, did a little gambling, and spent a little time on the beach; nothing too crazy, but a lot of time on the beach and some gambling at night. It was just good team bonding time down there.
R&B: Who’s the biggest clown on the team?
MG: The biggest clown is definitely Haack, coach [Chris] Haack, no question.
R&B: I saw a website online other day that had some of Haack’s better quotes, you got any good quotes from Him?
MG: Yeah, here is one from today, he says, “I’m like the lion king looking over his pride.”
R&B: What’s your response to those people that say golf isn’t a sport?
MG: It’s more than a sport. It does take athletic talent, but there are those individuals that aren’t athletically talented but can play golf because mental strength is such a big part of it. I don’t have a problem with people saying it’s not a sport because it’s so different. It’s so much more than a sport.
R&B: You have any superstitions on the golf course?
MG: I wouldn’t say I’m superstitious, more of a creature of habit than superstitious.
R&B: What’s your go to music before the round?
MG: You know it depends on my mood. Sometimes I go for something slow to get a little tempo going, and sometimes I go for rock just to get fired up, but it just depends on the mood.
R&B: Got any examples?
MG: I’ve been known to listen to a little Led Zeppelin before the round.
R&B: How would you like to finish your senior year here?
MG: I feel like every year we come into the spring being one of the top teams, and I’d really like to close it down this year as, if not a national champion, an SEC champion. And it all comes down to performing on those two weeks. I think the team’s clicking in terms of chemistry and everyone is playing well, so there is no reason we can’t do it.
R&B: You were chosen as the recipient of the Joel W, Eaves Award, which is given to the senior student-athlete with the highest GPA. What is it like to receive that award
MG: It’s an honor, but the key for me has always been time management. As a freshman, I made sure to put my academics first, and I still try to do that and that’s basically it.
