Pepperdine Men’s Golf senior William Mouw follows through on his golf swing in the NCAA Championships at Scottsdale, Ariz., in May 2022. Mouw said he focused on his chipping and putting this offseason. Photo courtesy of Roger Horne of Pepperdine Athletics
When it came down to a three-way sudden death in the Trans-Miss Amateur tournament, Men’s Golf senior William Mouw stepped onto the green and calmly sank in a 20-foot birdie to secure him the victory.
For the Chino, Calif., native, this shot was a culmination of hours of practice in what he said has been a busy offseason.
“That whole week I stayed patient through things that went my way or things that didn’t,” Mouw said. “I was resilient to have enough patience, to trust my game, have confidence in my game [and] that it was enough to play well and win.”
In addition to the San Francisco Qualifier, U.S. Open and the Trans-Miss Amateur Tournament, Mouw participated in the Pacific Coast Amateur, the Western Amateur and the U.S. Amateur during the offseason.
Mouw said at the end of a tournament and the last shot is there, he’s already practiced that shot hundreds of times.
“When the opportunity comes, I’m ready mentally, physically, technically and strategically to execute that shot to my full potential and accept the results,” Mouw said.
Mouw said his goal this summer was to make his weaknesses his strengths and continue to grow as a player. For example, the wedge game and chipping techniques he practiced the week after the U.S. Open came into play during the Trans-Miss AM Tournament, Mouw said.
“You can just work on little things in your game and just improve and enjoy the process of it,” Mouw said.
Mouw credits his work ethic to his grandparents and his parents. His parents owned a farm in Chino, Calif., and Billy’s Egg Farm has about three acres of farmland where Mouw grew up and this is where he said he learned work ethic.
Mouw said growing up on his parents farm taught him how to work at a young age and has been special in his journey of wanting to get better and become the best player he can be.
“You see an opportunity, you go for it,” Mouw said. “And you work at it and if you don’t succeed, you go back and you learn.”
Mouw said preparing for clutch moments in the tournaments are exciting and he prepares months before the tournament.
“You practice how you play,” Mouw said. “When the tournament comes in and that last shot is there — I’ve practiced that shot hundreds of times.”
“When the opportunity comes, I’m ready mentally, physically, technically and strategically to execute that shot to my full potential and accept the results,” Mouw said.
Pepperdine Men’s Golf season ended May 31 when they lost to Arizona State in the NCAA Semi-Finals. With the conclusion of the season, Mouw had no time to rest and was right back in the U.S. Open Qualifiers in San Francisco.
“It was really cool that my game was working that week after a lot of practice,” Mouw said. “I qualified and it was just really cool how the competitiveness and some of the Pepperdine team helped me get ready for that.”
After the qualifiers, Mouw said it was really cool being able to compete with the best players in the world at the U.S. Open as a rising senior.
In the U.S. Open, Mouw finished with scores of 75 and 74 but fell short after the second round.
“It was so much fun,” Mouw said. “I was just taken aback and just enjoyed the experience.”
Mouw said it was unique to learn and apply what he experienced in the U.S. Open to his own game. The way the players react after certain shots and how they carry themselves helps him mature as a person and as a player, Mouw said.
“Seeing those guys’ games and how they play, it was really cool to see that,” Mouw said. “My game is right there with them. And I just gotta keep putting in the work and enjoying the process.”
As the season draws closer, Mouw said he is looking forward to being the leader of the team at Pepperdine as one of the few upper-level students.
“Our team is deep again,” Mouw said. “We got some unbelievable players coming in. It’s just gonna be exciting. I think the team dynamic is gonna be really special this year and something to remember for the books and we’re gonna give it our best shot this year.”
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Contact Jerry Jiang via Twitter ( @j_jiang30 ) or via email jerry.jiang@pepperdine.edu
