Stadler making a name for himself
By JASONMARGOLIS
Staff Writer
In a season that
has been filled with inconsistency, USC's men's golf team has relied on the
solid play of a sophomore with a name all should recognize: Kevin
Stadler.
As many
Trojan golf fans will recall, Stadler is the son of former Trojan legend
Craig Stadler, a four-time All-American (1972-75) and Master's Champion
(1982). Some would argue that such a surname would bring a great deal of
added pressure, but Stadler dismisses such charges.
"I try not to
pay attention to any of that stuff, although I am always asked questions,"
Stadler said. "Certainly when I stand back and watch my father play I see
many similarities in both our styles and mannerisms, but golf is not always
a topic between us. To me, he's my father, not the 1982 Master's
Champion."
Name
notwithstanding, the play of Kevin Stadler this fall season has secured his
own place in the rich history of Trojan golf.
To this point,
Stadler has been the low scorer in three of four tournaments for the
Trojans, and has been impressive in a pair of top-five finishes, including
a second-place finish in the first tournament of the season.
"I have been
joking with Craig about what his claim to fame in the golf world will be
when he stops playing," said Assistant Coach Patrick Nutter. "If he
continues to get better, it just might be the play of Kevin."
Following the
struggles Stadler faced in his freshman season, few could have predicted he
would bounce back so strong in the fall. Throughout a turbulent campaign,
Stadler was consistently driving the ball well, only to ruin his score with
an utterly nonexistent short game.
The difference
this year is confidence, he said.
"With the
improvement of my short game I have become a much more confident golfer,"
Stadler said. "I no longer need to reach the green in two shots to birdie,
or make the perfect shot all the time."
You would think
that all this improvement came after a grueling summer of training and
millions of putts, but strangely enough, Stadler took the summer off for
the most part.
"Following the
end of last year I just got away from the game a little bit," Stadler said.
"You really have to do that in golf sometimes. I played in only three
tournaments, which is about half of my regular summer work, but that kept
me fresh for the crush of tournaments this fall."
That flurry of
activity included four tournaments in a 28-day span, a grueling stretch
that included traveling to Texas, Illinois and New Mexico.
The string of
tournaments really took a toll on the team.
"When we
finished the Red River tournament we were really ready for a break,"
Stadler said. "Now we're all trying to focus back in on school, and get
back on track."
With respect to
the team, Stadler said he expects things to keep getting better.
"We have a
smaller team, but the chemistry is much better this year," Stadler said. "I
think that before I leave we can contend for a national championship, but
we have to get to regionals first, of course."
Regionals proved
to be out of the team's reach last year, largely because of inconsistency
of the team throughout the season and the inability of the players to all
play well on the same day. So why might this year be different?
"The goal of
every guy on this team is to play golf professionally one day, and to
accomplish that we have to constantly get better," Stadler said. "There has
never been a question of talent on this team, and now I don't think there's
any question that our young guys will only get better."
On the subject
of getting better, Stadler is cautious about making too many predictions.
Nevertheless,
after spending his childhood on the tour, he knows where he wants to be ten
years from now.
"I very much
want to make my living playing golf," Stadler said. "I have been around the
game since I was old enough to walk and talk, and I have tremendous drive
to succeed at it. But for now, I know my focus has to remain here (at
USC)."
An international
relations major, Stadler is diving back into the grind of classes during a
long break from the collegiate tournament schedule.
When asked how
classes are going, Stadler simply said, "I am getting by."
If getting by is
at all similar to what he has been doing on the golf team this season, then
it is likely that the next two and a half years will be a breeze.
"Kevin has
played excellent golf all year for us," Coach Kurt Schuette said. "He has
developed into a real team leader. I look forward to seeing just how good
he can become over the next couple years."
Copyright 1999 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 138, No. 42 (Thursday, October 28, 1999), on page 23.