Junior AJ Armstrong reflects on the WSU men's golf teams fall performance and what he is hoping to get out of the spring, starting with the first tournament in Hawaii.
As an upperclassman now, how have you seen your role change in the dynamics of the team?
AJ: It's definitely a lot different. When I came in as a freshman I was wide eyed and I didn't really know what was going on. I was honestly kind of nervous playing with guys who are 21 and 22 when I just turned 18, so that was an adjustment. Now I definitely have confidence and feel like I obviously belong here. I'm just trying to lead by example for the freshmen on and off the course.
When in a tournament, is your mindset more focused on your individual score or the team score?
AJ: That's the interesting part about golf; it's an individual sport pretty much for everything other than college golf. I think you just have to focus on your individual score and just let the rest take care of itself because if you start worrying about how your team is doing you are going to lose focus and not be on top of your own game. In the end everyone wants to do what they can and then add them up at the end.
As you said, with golf being such an individual sport, how does having good relationships with your teammates play into how you perform as a team?
AJ: It's huge. Our team is pretty close so we all hang out with each other often. It's great just having the support of your other teammates. It can get pretty competitive because we have 10 guys on our team and only five get to travel to each tournament. It obviously stinks if you stay at home but if you feel like your teammates are supportive of you no matter what then that's huge.
What did you take from the outcome of the fall, and where can you improve both as a team and individually?
AJ: The fall wasn't the best. We won our home tournament, which was a huge bright spot, but we just didn't carry it over when we travelled. I think we should see the off season as a fresh start and have the mindset of wanting to win rather than just wanting to belong there.
Is there any aspect of your game that you have spent more time training on?
AJ: I've always been a long hitter. I've been the longest on pretty much all of my teams, so power is never an issue, and I think I developed that playing other sports like hockey and baseball. So, I think it's just learning how to manage that and obviously work on my short game. Putting and chipping has always kind of decided if I'm going to have a good round or a great round.
What tournament in the spring are you most looking forward to?
AJ: I would say our first tournament in Hawaii is usually the one everyone gets most excited about because we get to spend the week there and I don't want to say it's a vacation but it feels like one. The rest are also great. We play a great schedule mostly in California and Arizona, so it's nice weather. The biggest one is obviously the Pac-12 tournament, which is what we're working towards the whole year, so there is definitely a star next to that one.