Q: Why did you choose the Tribe?
I chose William and Mary because this university strikes a balance between academics and athletics. I wanted to attend a university where athletes were serious about their education but I also wanted to play Division I sports. At William and Mary a student-athlete is truly both a student and an athlete.
Q: Describe a moment when you felt the most Tribe pride...
During the awards ceremony at the end of the school year this spring I was especially proud to be part of the Tribe. President Reveley spoke about the success of our athletic program, both on the field and in school.
Q: Take us through your pre-game mental preparation routine:
Golf is mentally exhausting. It is usually best if I don't think too much about golf beforehand. Usually I will walk through the holes in my mind before a round to decide what clubs to hit on each hole.
Q: Do you belong to any other clubs, groups, or organizations?
I am a member of the Student Environmental Action Committee, and the Swing Dancing Club. School and golf can get very serious, so dancing is a great way to relieve some of that stress.
Q: What are some community activities you or your team have done?
Our team holds a summer junior golf camp. I spend my summers in Montana (where my family is originally from) so I am unable to help at our team’s camp. Instead I help instruct the junior league at my home club in Montana.
Q: What is your intended or declared major and why?
I will major in Environmental Science and Biology. I would like to apply the principles of ecology and environmental science to golf course management.
Q: Describe your dream job:
I would love to be able to work on redesigning golf courses with the goal of making them more sustainable and ecologically sound. With thoughtful design, golf courses have the potential to be recreational while also providing habitat and conserving resources.
Q: If you could play another sport at W&M what would it be and why?
I would play soccer. Golf is so civil I really don't have a chance to celebrate a great shot or a good putt. The most I can do is to be satisfied. After scoring a goal in soccer, you can go crazy. I can't do that on a golf course!
Q: Favorite team tradition/activity and why?
After qualifying rounds on the weekends, our team gathered at Chipotle for lunches so often that I think those would qualify as a team tradition. On weekends, we usually tee off at 8:00 am and finish 18 holes a bit after noon. By that time we're so hungry that a stop at Chipotle is a great way to get some energy back.
Q: Which teammate will have the most interesting job in 10 years and why?
Tanner Taddeo. His dream job is to run a sailboat company in the Caribbean. I doubt he is serious but you never know...
Q: What animal would best describe you and why?
My favorite animal is a squirrel but I am probably more like a beaver. I work hard and I like to design stuff. Beavers are busy engineers who make the most of their environment, managing it to their needs but giving something back at the same time. I'd like to do that too some day.
Q: What is your favorite quote or phrase?
I have two favorite quotes, both by PGA Tour professionals. Lee Westwood, "Performance is temporary, class is permanent," and Tom Watson, "No other game combines the wonder of nature with the discipline of sport in such carefully planned ways. A great golf course both frees and challenges a golfer's mind."
Q: What is your favorite type of food (i.e. Chinese, Mexican, etc.)?
I love the food in Germany. The bread is amazing, the chocolate is 100 times better than in the US, and schnitzel and spaeztle make a great dinner. Germans are not shy about putting real cream and butter in their food. Once I saw a package in a grocery that said "more fat!" I'm not sure that would sell well in the US.
Q: Favorite place you have visited or traveled to and why?
My favorite trip was to St. Andrews in Scotland, which is known as the "home of golf." Being in St. Andrews was amazing because of its setting and long history. Playing the Old Course at St. Andrews was a round of a lifetime. Almost every great golfer that has ever lived has played at the Old Course.
Q: If you could sit down for lunch with anyone in the world who would it be and why?
I would have lunch with Tom Watson because he is both a great champion and gentlemen. He is arguably the greatest links golfer ever, having won five Open Championships. At age 59, he almost won the Open at Turnberry in 2009. I cannot think of anybody else who shows more wisdom on the golf course then he does.
Q: Most addicting television show?
The Granada Television series of Sherlock Holmes starring Jeremy Brett is far and away the best TV show I have ever seen.
Q: How will you change the world (or even just one person’s world)?
In my career, I will make an effort to change the way golf courses are managed, so that they are both more efficient, less resource intensive, and more environmentally friendly. I hope to be able to improve and expand wildlife habitat on as many golf courses as possible. Golf courses are green in color, but they mostly not "green" in terms of resource use. I'd like to help change that.
Q: Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know...
I lived in Germany for several months growing up: six months in kindergarten and six months in 4th grade. The year that I spent in Germany was possibly the best experience in my life. We still go back to visit old friends periodically and I had the opportunity to work as an intern on a golf course there in 2010. As a young kid it was great to see the world from outside of the United States.
Q: What was your most-commented Facebook post?
The last time I wrote something my wall was in November of 2010. I made a hole-in-one and got a number of comments and congratulations. I'm not the most dedicated Facebook user.
Q: What’s number one on your bucket list and why?
At this point it is to play in the US Amateur and British Amateur golf tournaments. I plan on being a life-long amateur golfer, and the US and British Amateur tournaments are the most prestigious amateur golf tournaments in the world.
Q: What is your best non-athletic skill?
I really enjoy talking with people from all walks of life. Golf has given me a great opportunity to meet people that are very different from me. Spending time with people who are not my age is great because they often see the world from a different perspective then I do.
Q: Favorite Person to follow on Twitter?
Unfortunately or fortunately (I'm not sure), I don't have a Twitter account.
Q: What is your biggest pet peeve and why?
I can't stand it when people don't wash their hands when they cook. I do a fair amount of cooking so when people touch everything in sight with filthy mitts it makes me mad.
Q: What is something you are afraid of?
Driving a car even after having a license for a number of years still scares me. This is a gruesome thing to say, but I do not think many people realize how many people die in car crashes each year. I have a lot of respect for good driving.
Q: What is an obstacle you had to overcome in your life?
I am mildly dyslexic, a slow reader, and find it hard to finish tests in the allotted time. I was not able to read until I was in 4th grade. I finished just over half of the SAT reading section. Fortunately, I was able to explain that in my application to W&M and the admissions office was willing to give me a chance based on my grades, essays, and recommendations. Even though my SATs were in the bottom 3 percent at W&M, I was able to do well in all of my classes.
I chose William and Mary because this university strikes a balance between academics and athletics. I wanted to attend a university where athletes were serious about their education but I also wanted to play Division I sports. At William and Mary a student-athlete is truly both a student and an athlete.
Q: Describe a moment when you felt the most Tribe pride...
During the awards ceremony at the end of the school year this spring I was especially proud to be part of the Tribe. President Reveley spoke about the success of our athletic program, both on the field and in school.
Q: Take us through your pre-game mental preparation routine:
Golf is mentally exhausting. It is usually best if I don't think too much about golf beforehand. Usually I will walk through the holes in my mind before a round to decide what clubs to hit on each hole.
Q: Do you belong to any other clubs, groups, or organizations?
I am a member of the Student Environmental Action Committee, and the Swing Dancing Club. School and golf can get very serious, so dancing is a great way to relieve some of that stress.
Q: What are some community activities you or your team have done?
Our team holds a summer junior golf camp. I spend my summers in Montana (where my family is originally from) so I am unable to help at our team’s camp. Instead I help instruct the junior league at my home club in Montana.
Q: What is your intended or declared major and why?
I will major in Environmental Science and Biology. I would like to apply the principles of ecology and environmental science to golf course management.
Q: Describe your dream job:
I would love to be able to work on redesigning golf courses with the goal of making them more sustainable and ecologically sound. With thoughtful design, golf courses have the potential to be recreational while also providing habitat and conserving resources.
Q: If you could play another sport at W&M what would it be and why?
I would play soccer. Golf is so civil I really don't have a chance to celebrate a great shot or a good putt. The most I can do is to be satisfied. After scoring a goal in soccer, you can go crazy. I can't do that on a golf course!
Q: Favorite team tradition/activity and why?
After qualifying rounds on the weekends, our team gathered at Chipotle for lunches so often that I think those would qualify as a team tradition. On weekends, we usually tee off at 8:00 am and finish 18 holes a bit after noon. By that time we're so hungry that a stop at Chipotle is a great way to get some energy back.
Q: Which teammate will have the most interesting job in 10 years and why?
Tanner Taddeo. His dream job is to run a sailboat company in the Caribbean. I doubt he is serious but you never know...
Q: What animal would best describe you and why?
My favorite animal is a squirrel but I am probably more like a beaver. I work hard and I like to design stuff. Beavers are busy engineers who make the most of their environment, managing it to their needs but giving something back at the same time. I'd like to do that too some day.
Q: What is your favorite quote or phrase?
I have two favorite quotes, both by PGA Tour professionals. Lee Westwood, "Performance is temporary, class is permanent," and Tom Watson, "No other game combines the wonder of nature with the discipline of sport in such carefully planned ways. A great golf course both frees and challenges a golfer's mind."
Q: What is your favorite type of food (i.e. Chinese, Mexican, etc.)?
I love the food in Germany. The bread is amazing, the chocolate is 100 times better than in the US, and schnitzel and spaeztle make a great dinner. Germans are not shy about putting real cream and butter in their food. Once I saw a package in a grocery that said "more fat!" I'm not sure that would sell well in the US.
Q: Favorite place you have visited or traveled to and why?
My favorite trip was to St. Andrews in Scotland, which is known as the "home of golf." Being in St. Andrews was amazing because of its setting and long history. Playing the Old Course at St. Andrews was a round of a lifetime. Almost every great golfer that has ever lived has played at the Old Course.
Q: If you could sit down for lunch with anyone in the world who would it be and why?
I would have lunch with Tom Watson because he is both a great champion and gentlemen. He is arguably the greatest links golfer ever, having won five Open Championships. At age 59, he almost won the Open at Turnberry in 2009. I cannot think of anybody else who shows more wisdom on the golf course then he does.
Q: Most addicting television show?
The Granada Television series of Sherlock Holmes starring Jeremy Brett is far and away the best TV show I have ever seen.
Q: How will you change the world (or even just one person’s world)?
In my career, I will make an effort to change the way golf courses are managed, so that they are both more efficient, less resource intensive, and more environmentally friendly. I hope to be able to improve and expand wildlife habitat on as many golf courses as possible. Golf courses are green in color, but they mostly not "green" in terms of resource use. I'd like to help change that.
Q: Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know...
I lived in Germany for several months growing up: six months in kindergarten and six months in 4th grade. The year that I spent in Germany was possibly the best experience in my life. We still go back to visit old friends periodically and I had the opportunity to work as an intern on a golf course there in 2010. As a young kid it was great to see the world from outside of the United States.
Q: What was your most-commented Facebook post?
The last time I wrote something my wall was in November of 2010. I made a hole-in-one and got a number of comments and congratulations. I'm not the most dedicated Facebook user.
Q: What’s number one on your bucket list and why?
At this point it is to play in the US Amateur and British Amateur golf tournaments. I plan on being a life-long amateur golfer, and the US and British Amateur tournaments are the most prestigious amateur golf tournaments in the world.
Q: What is your best non-athletic skill?
I really enjoy talking with people from all walks of life. Golf has given me a great opportunity to meet people that are very different from me. Spending time with people who are not my age is great because they often see the world from a different perspective then I do.
Q: Favorite Person to follow on Twitter?
Unfortunately or fortunately (I'm not sure), I don't have a Twitter account.
Q: What is your biggest pet peeve and why?
I can't stand it when people don't wash their hands when they cook. I do a fair amount of cooking so when people touch everything in sight with filthy mitts it makes me mad.
Q: What is something you are afraid of?
Driving a car even after having a license for a number of years still scares me. This is a gruesome thing to say, but I do not think many people realize how many people die in car crashes each year. I have a lot of respect for good driving.
Q: What is an obstacle you had to overcome in your life?
I am mildly dyslexic, a slow reader, and find it hard to finish tests in the allotted time. I was not able to read until I was in 4th grade. I finished just over half of the SAT reading section. Fortunately, I was able to explain that in my application to W&M and the admissions office was willing to give me a chance based on my grades, essays, and recommendations. Even though my SATs were in the bottom 3 percent at W&M, I was able to do well in all of my classes.
