At last week’s WM Phoenix Open, young journalist Maverick Midthun stood out as a veteran in the media industry.
The 15-year-old high school student represented “Today’s Junior Golfer,” an Arizona nonprofit organization with a two-fold mission: to support low-income golfers with first-hand equipment, tournament scholarships, and “Dream Days” to highlight their golf journey with inspirational stories and photos.
Midthun was on hand at TPC Scottsdale thanks to a press pass awarded by the PGA Tour and the Thunderbrids, which gave him the opportunity to ask questions of some of the game’s biggest stars. On Wednesday last week, the list included Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka and Sahith Theegala.
Most of the time, a player’s pre-tournament press conference focuses on course conditions and the players’ preparation for the upcoming tournament days. But Midthun got one of the most interesting answers of the day when he asked Theegala what tips he would give to a young golfer who aspires to play on the PGA Tour one day.
Theegala’s response suggested using an unconventional development strategy.
“I see high school and college guys outpacing guys on the Tour,” Theegala began. “The distance thing is a big thing. I think the thing is – it’s easier said than done, but ignoring that part and finding your own way.
“I have seen many children lose their game trying to chase the distance rather than sharpening their work,” he continued. “What I’ve done personally and what I think has worked for a lot of my peers and a lot of my friends is to focus on the part of your game that I love the most. For me that was playing. I just embarrassed myself as much as I could. I did a lot of knockout competitions. It didn’t matter if I knew they were a good player for our chipper, I just wanted to beat them, and I got my best practice.
Theegala’s answer is illuminating in several ways. Basically, it’s a rejection of the current bomb-and-gouge philosophy that seems to be spreading like wildfire, especially among younger players. At a time when everyone seems to be chasing more distance – even at the Tour level – the idea of not focusing on long-term gains is interesting in itself.
Another point that caught my interest was Theegala’s insistence on focusing on the part of the game that you love the most. These days, deep dives into data and statistics drive many athlete training programs. Young players are often told to focus on identifying and improving their weaknesses in order to get better, but Theegala recommends the opposite, in a sense, suggesting that players should focus on areas of interest rather than what will help develop the rest of their game.
“I struggled a lot with my driver early on,” said Theegala. “I knew I was struggling with the driver, but when I was doing takedown contests or clipping games or working on a crazy spinny chip, I forgot about all the other stuff, all the other parts of the game. So I wanted to feel like my setup was better than hitting somebody else. Somehow, it freed up the rest of my game.
“I would say find a part of the game that you love, focus on that.”
Last year, Theegala was 13th on Tour in drives from 20-30 yards, while he was 102nd in driving distance. With a current world ranking of 92 and a tour victory on his resume, Theegala is living proof that strength is not everything.
