I didn’t grow up as the can’t-miss kid. I wasn’t the junior golf prodigy everyone had circled early. I was the guy figuring it out a little slower, taking some lumps, learning the hard way what worked and what didn’t.
At my first stop in college, I built myself from the ground up. I went from being outside the top tier to becoming an All-American, but even then, it didn’t feel finished. COVID hit. I had hand surgery. My senior year didn’t go the way I wanted. It felt incomplete.
So, when I was gifted one more year of eligibility, I knew I needed something different. Not comfortable. Not familiar. Something that was going to push me.
That’s what Oklahoma was.
It wasn’t just about golf. It was about putting myself in an environment where everything around me demanded more, things like more focus, more accountability, more belief. I didn’t go there to ease into anything. I went there to see if I could actually become the player I thought I could be.
Looking back now, that one year changed everything.
The Kind of Coach I Needed
Coach Hybl was exactly what I was looking for, whether I realized it fully at the time or not.
I’ve always responded to honesty. No sugarcoating. No guessing. Just tell me what it is. He’s that kind of coach. He’s going to tell you exactly how he sees it, and whether you like it or not, it’s coming from the right place.
It’s tough love, but it’s real.
At that point in my career, I didn’t need someone to babysit me. I needed someone who was going to treat me like a player trying to go pro. Someone who was going to push me, challenge me, and hold me to a higher standard.
That’s what he did.
And it wasn’t just him. It was the whole environment. Oklahoma has this expectation across every sport. You’re surrounded by elite athletes, future pros, people who are all chasing something at the highest level. You feel that every day.
You walk into workouts and you’re next to guys who are going to play in the NFL. You see what the softball program is doing, what gymnastics is doing. It raises your level whether you want it to or not.
For me, it was motivating. It made me realize this is what it’s supposed to feel like if you want to be great.
It All Clicked
At the time, it felt like a blur.
We were winning. I was playing the best golf of my life. Everything kind of clicked all at once. I won tournaments, our team had success, and I ended up winning the Haskins and Jack Nicklaus Awards, which still feels crazy to say out loud.
But what I remember most isn’t the awards, it’s how much fun I had being part of that team.
I was there for one year, but it never felt like that. The relationships, the time we spent together, the way we pushed each other. All of it mattered. I still talk to those guys all the time. I still feel connected to that place.
The only thing I wish is that I had slowed down enough to really take it in.
Because as soon as it ended, it was over. We lost, flew home, and I had two days before I was playing in a PGA Tour event. I packed up my life and left. There wasn’t really a moment to sit there and think, “That was special.”
It took time after the fact to realize just how important that year was. Not just for my golf, of course, but for me.
From Oklahoma to the PGA Tour
When I left Oklahoma, I had confidence. But I also knew I still had something to prove.
There was no fast track for me. I wasn’t going straight to the PGA Tour. That summer, I played in Korn Ferry Tour events through my PGA Tour U exemption, then earned my card through Q-School. In 2023-24, I played well enough to take the next step and earn my PGA Tour card.
I didn’t arrive expecting anything to be given. But I believed I could compete. And that year showed me that when I’m playing well, I can hang with anybody.
It started with small steps. Solid finishes. Earning status. Getting into bigger events.
Then the wins came.
Myrtle Beach Classic in 2024.
Scottish Open in 2025.
And then 2026.
Sony Open in Hawaii.
Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Step by step, it turned into something real.
Each one built on the last.
But if I’m being honest, the foundation goes back to Oklahoma. That’s where everything came together. That’s where I proved to myself I could be the best player in the country.
You don’t forget that.
Even now, with bigger stages, more attention, and majors, that belief still comes from the same place.
Why Oklahoma Still Matters
Even after I left, Oklahoma didn’t really leave me.
I stayed there for a while, trained there, and kept those relationships going. It became more than just a school I spent a year at. It became part of how I approach everything now.
The biggest thing I took from that experience is simple: good golf takes care of everything.
You can worry about rankings, opportunities, exemptions, but at the end of the day, if you play well, everything else follows. That’s something I learned over time, but that year reinforced it.
It also taught me to embrace the process. My path wasn’t the fast track. I wasn’t the No. 1 junior in the country. I had to learn, fail, adjust, and keep going.
That hasn’t changed.
Now, I’m chasing “more” of everything. More wins, more consistency, being part of things like the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, and staying in the majors. That’s what motivates me. Not money, not status. It’s purely the feeling of winning and competing at the highest level.
And through all of it, I still feel like the same player who showed up in Norman for one year, trying to prove something.
The difference is, now I know what I’m capable of.
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