COURT COMAN
Staff Writer
After a friendly nine holes, a beaming Josh Anderson stepped into his friend’s Ford Focus for the ride of his life. As the two pulled up to a signal light, they recognized the car next to them as their teammates, and the engines began to rev. Everyone has been there before – high school drag racing, when getting a speeding ticket wasn’t the top priority, but beating the guy next to you ruled your world.
Tires squealing and dust flying, the needle soon passed over 70 mph, and smiles were abundant in the cockpit of the car. The dial soon read 90 mph, and a hairpin corner was upon them. As the driver smashed both feet on the brake, the car entered a four-point skid and was careening off the side of the road. In an instant the Ford was still again, but not before rolling three times. With fire rapidly spreading throughout the vehicle, and Anderson battling consciousness, the driver ripped open the passenger door, and pulled Anderson out.
The crash had fractured Anderson’s arm, an injury he was told would forever remove him from golf. Two and a half years, a case of trophies and a Division I scholarship later, Anderson reflects on the horrifying accident that changed him forever.
Without the help of his good friend, Anderson’s life may have ended that day. The car was totaled, and without seatbelts, both of the young men would have been seriously injured.
“It was almost surreal,” said Anderson’s mother, Andrea, who arrived at the hospital in time to hear Anderson’s only injury was a broken arm.
Both Anderson and his mother knew the accident would not be the end of his golfing career.
“Golf is my calling,” Anderson said. “It’s what God wants me to do, ya know? I just couldn’t let some accident waste my talent. I knew I wasn’t done.”
It turns out the car accident was nothing more than a minor setback for Anderson. The Pepperdine golfer looks back on his life with learning eyes. Learning from the past is what he does, and the history of Josh Anderson reads golf from the start.
Born in Murrieta, Calif., Anderson’s lungs have breathed golf since he was 6 years old. His father, who has been his mentor, thought swinging a golf club was next in line after learning to walk. His family, however, is not full of golfers. His father is the only other golfer in the family. He has one younger brother, Jake, who is pursuing a different career in acting.
As a public school attendee in Southern California, it’s not uncommon to fall to the temptations of high school life. So after school, instead of digging through his pockets for extra money, Anderson was digging through his pockets for his ball marker, which was usually placed within five feet of the cup. Anderson’s commitment to golf has been a trait he possessed from the start, and a trait that has pushed him to the top of his game. Evidently it paid off, as Anderson’s trophy rack is as full as Michael Jordan’s ring hand.
Rain fell on Anderson’s flawless parade in 2005, when he was involved in the ghastly car accident. Doctors told a disheartened Anderson that his golfing career was over. Occurring just prior to the state tournament, the accident could not have come at a worse time. Instead of resorting to the enticements of high school, Anderson fought back, winning the California Amateur Player of the Year award in 2007 and the California State Amateur Championship. He shares these successes with several highly celebrated golfers, including Tiger Woods, who won the California Amateur Player of the Year award in 1991.
With high school graduation in sight, Anderson’s to-do list had only one line: Where am I going next fall? Letters from numerous schools tried to persuade the California conqueror to wear their letters, but in the end it came down to two schools: Pepperdine or the University of Southern California. In the end it was the beautiful scenery, and the Waves of Pepperdine that reeled him in.
“The scenery is unbelievable,” said Anderson, pulling his visor over his blonde hair. “It is the place that gives me the best chance to take my game to the next level.”
The infamous transition from high school to college haunts the dreams of nearly every second-semester high schooler. For Anderson, the change was somewhat different, as not many seniors can dream about one day winning a Division I National Championship.
“The transfer has been interesting,” Anderson said. “I’m having a lot more fun with a lot more freedom.”
With practice and workouts six days a week, golf hasn’t made the shift easier. For Anderson, who has been balancing school and golf perfectly, plugging himself into the social pipeline has been a breeze.
“We have a really great group of guys out here,” said Anderson, referring to the 11 other members of the Pepperdine golf team. With great team unity, the Waves have cracked the top 30 and are hoping to take a shot at the National Championship.
“Josh is a great player and is a really funny guy,” said redshirt freshman Chad Vivolo, a member of the Pepperdine golf team. “He is young and has a lot to offer to us.”
When Anderson isn’t busy toning in his 9-iron, he is relaxing with his friends, listening to Lil’ Wayne and playing Xbox 360. If he wasn’t playing golf, “I don’t think that I would be in college because my grades in high school were not the best.”
Pepperdine men’s golf head coach John Geiberger envisions a successful career for the redshirt freshman.
“He’s an extremely talented kid, and we’re looking for big things in his future,” Geiberger said.
So where will Josh Anderson be in 10 years? Will he swim out of the norm, and give golf a new taste of enthusiasm? With a smile on his face, high hopes in his mind and hip-hop in his headphones, Anderson will surely climb out on top.
03-27-2008
