Golf: The 19th Hole with Ryan Morgan
2/3/2004
The first edition of The 19th Hole features senior Ryan Morgan. Ryan is a senior from Lawrence, Kan., his middle name is Nicklaus, and he's on the golf team.
Overall:
I don?t change equipment very often, so I?ve been carrying most of my sticks for my entire Rice career. I just make sure that I?m very comfortable with whatever I have in my bag. The one major change is that I?ve gone along with the technological advancement in drivers, which is why I now carry the thing that looks like a Volkswagen on a stick.
Driver:
9.5 degree Titleist 983K, Grafalloy stiff shaft
3-wood:
Callaway Steelhead Plus, Grafalloy stiff shaft
Irons:
Maxfli Revolutions, Dynamic Gold X-100 shafts
Putter:
Odyssey White Hot #2, center-shafted
Wedges:
54 degree Titleist Vokey, 60 degree Ram Tom Watson tour grind
Ball:
Titleist Pro VI
Top 5 golf courses I?ve played:
This is a really tough question, just because there are so many different kinds of golf courses, but I?ll go with Merion (Pa.), Muirfield Village (Ohio), Pine Valley (N.J.), Pebble Beach (Calif.), and The Honors Course (Tenn.).
Top 5 golf courses in Houston-area:
This is an easier one to answer:
Lochinvar, Champions, River Oaks, Meadowbrook Farms, Old Orchard (Barns and Stables nines)
Favorite major golf tournament:
Tie between The Masters and the US Open. The Masters is too full of history to ignore, and the US Open is always entertaining because it?s fun to watch the pros struggle around the course.
The best golf story I have experienced is this:
Winning my first collegiate event in my home state of Kansas my sophomore year. I had a career-low 68 in the first round, and played the last 12 holes of the tournament in 2-under par to win by a shot. It was one of the most difficult golf courses I?ve ever played, and it was special because of how I handled myself under the most intense pressure I?ve experienced in my career.
Favorite pro golfer:
Jack Nicklaus
Favorite golf movie:
Caddyshack
Favorite Caddy Shack quote:
I?ve got a bunch, sorry, you can?t pick just one from such a classic.
1. ?Hey baby, you?re alright?..you must have been somethin' before electricity.?
2. ?He said that on my deathbed I would achieve total consciousness...so I got dat goin for me...which is nice.?
3. ?Licensed to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill gophers at will.?
4. ?The last time I saw a mouth like that it had a hook in it.?
Three golfers I would choose in my foursome to play a around of golf would be:
First and foremost would be Jack Nicklaus, because my middle name is Nicklaus, after him, not to mention the fact that he?s the greatest golfer in the history of the game. Second, I would invite Bobby Jones because he?s the only legend of the game that was an amateur. Third, I would bring my Dad because he?s given me so many opportunities in my life, and what better way to repay them then a little best ball match against two of the all-time greats. We would be playing Augusta National, of course.
Longest putt I ever made:
Nintey-six feet (yes, I measured it), in route to winning Regionals my junior year in high school.
Best golf advice (tip) I?ve received:
?Don?t practice too much?..it?s not your style.? This came from my pro/coach that has watched me play since I was six. I was getting ready to defend my state title in high school on my home golf course, and he realized that I was preparing in a much different way. I?m glad he said something, because it made me realize that I get the more out of playing 18 holes than I do beating three buckets of range balls.
Most embarrassing golf moment:
This occurred in my very first collegiate tournament. In our college tournaments we play two rounds the first day and then one more on the second day. I?d finished up my first round with a solid 76, not a bad start all things considered. The second round was moving along fine, and I was even par through eight holes. I came up to a Par 3 with water short and right of the green. I put my tee shot in the pond, and walked up to drop. I then proceeded to dead shank (when this happens the ball shoots out at a 45 degree angle away from your target?.it?s difficult to do on purpose and really screws with your mind) two straight shots into the water with my coach watching from the tee-box. After that I switched clubs, hacked it over the water into some weeds, chunked it into a bunker, and got up-and-down for my 10. Needless to say, the round went downhill from there.
