College
Minor change leads to major results for Clarke F
BY RYAN REDDING
or some golfers, the difference between success and mediocrity can be anything from a swing change to a new piece of equipment. But for most, it usually comes down to a change in mentality. Midlothian native Kevin Clarke’s change has led to an incredible stretch of golf. Clarke, a senior at the University of West Georgia, finished no worse than 6th in four fall tournaments. He opened the season with his first collegiate individual title at the Full Moon Invitational. That effort helped his team to a first place finish as well. He fol- lowed that up with a T6 at the Aflac-Cougar Invitational which helped him earn Gulf South Conference Player of the Month hon- ors for September. Clarke continued his success with back-to-
back runner-up finishes in the TVA Credit Union Classic and UWG Matt Dyas Invita- tional, earning another conference Player of the Month award for October and catapult- ing the Wolves to a 9th place ranking in the Golf Coaches Association of America Coaches Poll for NCAA Division II play. What was the change that Clarke imple- mented? “I switched from a cross-handed grip to the
claw-grip last summer,” Clarke said. “It was re- ally intended to help with the shorter putts but has greatly benefitted my putting overall.” A small adjustment that gave him a new out- look and boosted his performance. “My mental perspective changed because of
my confidence with the putter,” Clarke said. “Once I changed my putting grip, I started to see some results and that proceeded to benefit my entire game.” Knowing he could make the putt when it counted filtered down to other areas of his game and led to a belief that he was a force to be reck- oned with. “I have become much more comfort- able in tournaments and my ability to play under pressure has drastically improved,” he said. Clarke’s early season win gave him the confi- dence he needed going forward. “Winning the first tournament of the year
gave me the momentum I needed for the rest of the fall season,” he said. “The fact that I won by one stroke by having to make a 10 foot putt on the last hole made it that much better. That showed me that I could play and find success under pressure.” Starting late at something in life, whether it is writing, playing an instrument, or golf, often
20 Virginia Golf Report • Spring 2015 •
virginiagolfreport.com
practice range and in the classroom. As a student-athlete, balancing classroom responsibilities with on the course responsibili- ties can be tricky. Clarke has been able to find that balance. “He carries an overall 3.5 GPA for his time here at UWG and is in his final semester of a Sports Management degree,” said Harwell. “Playing competitive college golf along with missing classes for tournament travel makes it tough to fulfill your academic responsibilities and earn a degree in four years, but Kevin will have done that and had success both on and off the golf course.”
With the spring season well under way, Clarke is looking to build on not only his individual suc- cess, but the team’s as well. “I believe as a team we could make it to the postseason for the first time in school history,” he said. “That would be a great way to finish my time at UWG.”
Kevin Clarke
means having to work just a little harder to be good. That takes focus, determination, and a strong work ethic— something Clarke says his parents, Todd and Brenda instilled in him. Clarke didn’t start playing until age 12, a lot later than most of his peers. “I never was interested in golf growing up,” he said. “I had always played football, basketball and baseball. My dad first got me into it when I was about 12. Because I started golf at a later age, I had always been behind for much of my time playing. This has forced me to work even harder and is the reason for my strong work ethic that I have today. I have always figured that having a strong work ethic would set me apart from everyone else.” Clarke’s coach, Barry Harwell, has seen his transformation from the beginning. As the newly hired coach in 2011, Harwell inherited incoming freshman Clarke and a team just beginning to show signs of making major strides. The team has continued on that arc and Harwell credits Clarke as a big part of that success. “He is a great example of someone who has
physical and mental ability that just needed some stronger competition along with self-confidence in his own game to become a quality player,” said Harwell, who added that Clarke sets the bar on the team for his work ethic on the course, on the
With team finishes of 1st, T5, and 2nd in their first three tournaments of the spring season, it appears the Wolves are well on their way to a postseason trip. After graduation, Clarke plans to test the wa- ters playing professional golf. “I definitely plan to play golf at the profes- sional level,” he said. “These past four years I have worked hard not only to succeed in college golf, but also to put myself in position to suc- ceed professionally. Professional golf has been an ambition of mine since I first started playing.” With his experience and strong work ethic along with a degree in Sports Management, Clarke has no doubt set himself up to succeed in whatever he chooses to do.
Kevin Clarke Favorites
Course- PGA National (Champion Course ) VA course- Farmington Country Club Hole- 18th hole PGA National Pro golfer- Tommy Gainey Pro sports team- Dallas Mavericks Sport other than golf- college football Club in bag- putter College course- Sports management TV show- Survivor Golf movie- Happy Gilmore Dream course- St. Andrews (old course) Book- Tiger Woods: How I play golf Golf memory- Winning my first college tournament last fall
Photo courtesy of Jared Boggus UWG Sports Information
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