Last week, senior golfer Patrick Newcomb was awarded the OVC Golfer of the Year Award. For the Benton, Ky native, the award has been a long time coming.
“I’ve been playing sports my whole life,” Newcomb said. “I had a golf club in my hand before I could walk, but nothing serious. I’d just go play in the sand or something when I was going out with my dad. I didn’t play my first competitive tournament until I was 9 and I didn’t get really competitive until I was about 12.”
Residing just 30 minutes down the road from Murray State, Newcomb grew up in a golfing family. Both his mom and dad have played golf for the majority of their lives, and Patrick’s brother Nick also played collegiate golf at Murray State, winning two OVC Championships.
His brother, Newcomb said, played a big role in his decision to come to Murray.
“I was heavily recruited by Murray since I can remember,” Newcomb said. “My brother coming here two years before my freshman year really set the stage. I wanted to play one year with my brother and try to win a conference championship. Not many people can say they’ve won a conference championship with their brother.”
Though he originally attended to play with his brother, Newcomb said it has been a perfect fit as he has improved his game and will graduate this month as one of the most successful golfers in Murray State history.
“(Head) Coach (Eddie) Hunt really doesn’t hold tight reigns on any of us,” Newcomb said. “Especially if you produce and play well then he lets you do your own thing, which in the game of golf it kind of has to be that way. Having that freedom here at Murray State has really helped me prepare for the future.”
Newcomb, who just completed his final season of golf as a Racer, will soon graduate with a degree in advertising. He will attempt to play professionally after school, following in the footsteps of his older brother, who recently won his first professional tournament.
The first step in the process will come after graduation, when Newcomb will begin looking for financial backers and sponsorships. From there, he will begin playing Mini-Tour golf, before hopefully attending Q School, which is the qualifying school for the PGA Tour.
“Within the next couple of years I would like to get my status on the Web.com Tour, which is right below the PGA Tour,” Newcomb said. “I need to make enough money just to stay afloat. It’s really expensive to play mini tour golf and you really don’t make much money doing it, so I just need to stay afloat and get the Web.com status within the first few years.”
While the process of transitioning from collegiate to professional golf can be full of uncertainty, Newcomb remains confident and continues to take advice from his brother, who is in the midst of the same process.
“I’m pretty confident going in,” Newcomb said. “I feel like if you go to a tournament and don’t expect to win, you shouldn’t be there. That’s just been my mentality since I’ve been playing the game. I’m just a really competitive person and I think I can make a splash right out of the gate.”
“(My brother) tells me to work harder,” Newcomb said. “I think he works harder than about 95 percent of the professionals that play the game, so he really pushes me to work hard.”
While the OVC portion of the schedule is now complete, Newcomb will play in his final collegiate tournament in two weeks when he travels to one of six regionals for the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship. If he qualifies, he will head to the National Championship May 28-June 2 in Atlanta, Ga.
A self-proclaimed confident player, Newcomb heads into the end of his collegiate playing days and the beginning of his professional career with sky high aspirations.
“Down the road, my goal is to win multiple major championships,” Newcomb said. “If you win more than one, you’re pretty much a staple. Everyone knows you if you know more than one. So, my goal is to win at least two major championships.”
Story by Jonathan Ferris, Staff writer.