A: The first day of practice freshman year, coach sat [senior] Drew Maliniak and I down during a team lunch and started talking about the next few years. In order to describe the experiences and opportunities before us, his exact words were, “You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
Q: What has been the greatest highlight in your sports career?
A: The best “SportsCenter”-type moment I’ve had was making a 40-foot eagle putt to win on the first playoff hole of a national tournament.
Q: What’s your funniest story about a coach?
A: One of the kids on my high school golf team has as pasty a complexion as I’ve seen. When he was changing shirts in the van once, our coach cracked, “I’ve seen milk darker than that.”
Q: Quirkiest teammate? Why?
A: Juan Pablo Candela, our junior teammate from Bogota, Colombia, who can do nothing that will ever surprise us. Juan arrived at school already short a three wood and a seven iron. At our second event, he looked into the bag, noticed his eight iron was missing and proceeded to say, “Oh no, my eight iron isn’t here. Don’t tell coach!” If Juan can go to a tournament with only misplacing one club over the course of the weekend, then it can be deemed a success.
Q: What has been your most embarrassing moment with the team?
A: Playing like a 30-handicap in front of my friends and family at The Prestige in Palm Desert. It was so bad that on the fourth hole, Coach put an extra sleeve of balls in my bag because I was pumping so many out of bounds. The only players I beat that week were those who failed to finish due to injury or sickness. My mom let out an audible gasp when she saw my final score.
Q: What’s the best part about being an athlete on campus?
A: Being part of a group of guys that share the same set of responsibilities, motivations and experiences.
Q: What’s the worst/hardest part about being an athlete on campus?
A: When Public Safety busts a team party, the program suffers.
Q: What’s your favorite thing to do when not practicing?
A: I enjoy a good game of Monster golf. Sportcraft makes these cartoonish oversized clubs and inflatable golf balls designed for children, despite their weight. The holes are routed all throughout campus, including the signature hole, which tees off from Blair arch and ends in the slums. If you hear the phrase “coming in hot,” you best cover your head.
Q: If not golf, what other sport would you play?
A: If there were a competitive croquet circuit, I’d be a force. In general, though, anything that involves running is out of the question.
Q: If you were a coach for a day, you would…?
A: I’d play Pine Valley in the morning, fly out to California, play a twilight round at Cypress Point and convince an alum to bankroll the whole operation. Sunrise at PV and sunset at CPC is about as good as it gets.
Q: What has been your favorite class at Princeton?
A: High Tech Entrepreneurship with Ed Zschau [’61]. In terms of a class that it is interesting, rewarding and has direct ties to the real world, there is nothing better at Princeton. Professor Zschau is also just a tremendous person and motivator.
Q: Who gets the most girls on the team? Who has the most game off the field?
A: This honor has to go to [junior] Tom Klingman. He gets that look in his eyes, and it’s over.
Q: Do you have a pre-game ritual?
A: Typically, it involves some eggs and a trip to the facilities.
Q: What’s Most embarrassing song on your iPod?
A: Assorted show tunes: It doesn’t get much more embarrassing than that.
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