The Barometer Online

Issue date: 5/14/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Cory Reed Golfer Paul Peterson leads Oregon State wtih a 71.87 stroke average. Peterson is on track for the third best stroke average in school history.

Driven by a fierce desire to expand his own horizons, lead his teammates to the NCAA Finals and ultimately swing clubs on the professional tour, Oregon State University junior Paul Peterson has developed into a spectacular player on the men's golf team.

The 2008-2009 season has been one of great success for the Tucson, Ariz., native. Boasting a 71.87 stroke average that would make some pros jealous, Peterson has become one of the top performers in the Beavers' lineup. As is commonplace with most sports greats, he began honing his skills at a very young age.

"I was probably only 3 or 4 years old when I started," Peterson said. "My dad, [a surgeon], had operated on one of the pros at a golf course in Tucson, and he got me into some clubs early. I was out at the driving range at age 3."

The young golf enthusiast eventually moved to Oregon with his family and attended Sprague High School in Salem, where he excelled on the course at the junior/amateur level. Peterson's high school golf résumé is speckled with highlights, none finer that his win at the 2005 OGA Junior Stroke Play Championship.

Succeeding at the NCAA level, however, is a feat accomplished only by an elite few. Transitioning from the junior/amateur level to the collegiate level requires mastering both tougher rules and more technically advanced courses.

"It's night and day," Peterson said. "In high school, we get to go out and play golf courses from the white tees with pin placements set by the maintenance people. In college golf, the rough is up, they set the pins and you play 36 holes. It is a completely different ball game."

Perhaps the most daunting aspect of graduating to the next level is the quality of the competition. Only the best players qualify for the team, and only the elite few land a spot on the five-slot tournament lineup, accounting for extremely talented collegiate opposition.

"The best way to put it is, collegiate quality golfers are big fish in a little pond at the high school level," Peterson said. "Jump into the college realm, where you meet nine other guys who are big fish in small ponds, and you have to find out where you fit in. You play and improve your strengths and become that big fish in the collegiate pond. It is the same at the professional level as well."

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools