BRITTANY YEAROUT
News Assistant
As graduation approaches, seniors prepare to step into their professional careers. Senior Alex Coe is no different, except he is trying to enter a profession that is one of the most elite in the world.
He is trying to become a professional golfer and a member of the PGA Tour.
More than 1,000 players start the qualifying process of going pro, but only 30 survive the 14 rounds of golf and achieve their goal of being on the 180-member PGA Tour.
In October of 2006, Coe will play in the three-stage PGA Tour National Qualifying Tournament.
“It’s nice because they are all in the PGA West of Palm Springs, which is where I live now,” Coe said. “So it is kind of like I have the home court’s advantage.”
He has the game to make it, according to men’s golf coach John Geiberger.
“He is serious about this, and he wants to go on to the next level, so he puts in a lot of extra time,” Geiberger said. “There is no substitute for hard work and Alex has the work ethic … The natural process is three to five years to get to the level of where you want to be, but, yes, he can definitely make it.”
Playing professional golf has been a lifelong dream for Coe and he said he can’t imagine his life without it.
“Golf is such a fun game,” Coe said. “Why not play it as a living? It can’t get any better.”
However, professional golf is a marathon and not a sprint. It is a lengthy process because a golfer can peak from ages 28 to 40, according to Geiberger.
This marathon is the reason Coe loves the game.
“It is one of those games that you can play until you are 80 years old,” Coe said. “I call it the golf bug. It is an addiction. I love the thrill of putting the little ball in the hole.”
Coe, 22, started playing golf at age 7. However, it wasn’t the typical “country club golf.” A retired Air Force colonel took him under his wing and taught him to play golf in Guam.
“It is pretty funny because everyone looks at me and thinks that I am a California boy, but I didn’t live in the States until I was 15 years old,” Coe said. “Guam was different. I played golf every day after school but only played the military courses. Golf is super nice in California and in Guam it is like a cow pasture.”
According to Coe, every sport promotes discipline and focus, which extends to other areas in life. Golf has shaped who Coe is today and he is competitive about everything in life because of it.
“I have a 3.2, I was an Academic All American last year, and it is just because I am disciplined from golf and know how to manage my time,” Coe said.
Yet, even being disciplined and focused didn’t keep Coe from suffering disappointment and defeat.
In 2004, Coe finished second to last in the University of Southern California tournament. However, defeat turned into victory two days later when he placed first in a tournament in South Carolina.
“It was a bounce back that was nice to have in me. I kind of just proved to myself to never give up and keep fighting because life is going to throw you some curve balls,” Coe said.
Coe is now the captain of the golf team and a great friend, according to sophomore Colin Wilcox.
“He has a unique personality where he stays focused on the golf course but at the same time he helps his teammates with their problems on and off the golf course,” Wilcox said.
At the college level, a golfer plays 36 holes in a day, which add up to 11 hours on the course. To be successful one has to have a good level of focus and rely on it, stay in the present and be positive, according to Coe.
“What is hard about golf is when the weather and the course get super hard, it is a mental grind,” Coe said. “Golf is 90 percent mental, so when you’re tired and beat up you just have to keep doing it. It is like a long haul of mental anguish.”
According to Coe, other difficult aspects of golf involve time management and lack of free time.
“I definitely had to give up being able to go to class at two in the afternoon and my social life kind of went down,” Coe said. “But whatever, I like sports more than I like my social life.”
Coe joins Chris Elliott as one of two seniors on the Wave’s roster. In the fall, he participated in 11 tournaments and posted a 74 stroke average in 33 rounds.
As Coe begins his final semester, he will be preparing himself for qualifying school, but Geiberger has full confidence in him and said he is ready to begin his career.
“He is like a sponge and just takes it all in, which is great,” Geiberger said. “His strength is his work ethic and determination to play well on any given day … He will grind out a round and hang tough and make a decent round out of a bad round. So, I always say he has the heart of a lion. You know that when he is out there playing that he is giving it all and going to make something of it. Not everybody has that trait in golf.”
01-19-2006