Recently named the Atlantic Sun Conference’s March Golfer of the Month, Kevin Phelan persists on the green as he gears up for the A-Sun Men’s Golf Championship slated for April 18-21.
Phelan, a business fresh,an, boasts three top 10 finishes in the last month in addition to his recorded six rounds out of nine shooting par or better in last month’s Schenkel E-Z-GO Invitational.
With a lowest recorded score of 65, which he has achieved twice in his career, Phelan cut it close with a low 66 in the second round of the Schenkel E-Z-GO, which he attributes to a calm mind.
“Golf is not like football,” Phelan said. “You can’t just get mad or angry. [Golf] is mostly mental, so you need to learn to keep a cool head.”
Since taking to the sport at age seven, Phelan has remained dedicated to honing his skills on the golf course after his father. A professional squash player, his father taught him how to hold a club.
By finishing his last two years of high school at home, Phelan was able to focus on his passion for golf through routine practices and by competing in several amateur golfing competitions, he said.
Placing second in the 2008 Florida Azalea Amateur Championship, third at the 2009 Future College Golf Associations State Amateur Championship and the 2009 FSGA State Match Play Championships, Phelan continues to work on his long term athletic goals, which he said are quite distant.
“I would definitely like to play [golf] professionally,” Phelan said. “Depending on how I continue to play in college, it’s a long shot, but I’ll see where I go from there.”
Since joining UNF’s men’s golf team last fall, Phelan has acquired injuries on his neck and back which he treats by weekly chiropractor visits, he said.
The Ospreys have held a top-25 team ranking throughout this spring, recorded three-top five finishes last month, including taking third out of 25 at the University of South Florida Invite and fourth at the Rio Pinar in a field of 18.
But in light of last month’s second place finish at the Schenkel E-Z-GO Invitational, where the Ospreys fell short one stroke to Auburn University, Phelan said he believes the Ospreys need to focus on implementing their skills invariably.
“Everyone is playing well, but we need to do that consistently,” he said.
The golf team plans on continuing routine practices in preparation for the A-Sun Conference.
An admirer of Tiger Woods’ prowess on the golf course but not off, Phelan feels confident heading into the A-Sun championship.
“After winning the last challenge, I feel confident,” he said. “But I just want to keep improving and stay organized.”
