Sam Horsfield: Q&A with the Florida phenom
15 Feb 2014
by Benjamin Larsen of AmateurGolf.com
see also: , Sam Horsfield Profile
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Sam Horsfield is just a normal kid.
He wakes up every day at 5:30 a.m. and has
breakfast. He goes to school and enjoys
spending
time with, “a whole bunch of friends.”
It’s when he gets on a golf course that
Horsfield takes a step above normal.
The 17-year-old prodigy from Davenport, Fla.
by way of England is on a tear. The winner of
the
2014 New Years Invitational and 2013 Orlando
City Amateur -- in which he shot a 60 -- and
Florida State Amateur -- where he won by 11
shots -- is only getting started. He’s ranked
No.
73 in the Golfweek/amateurgolf.com World
Player Rankings and 41st in the U.S. rankings
and he’s
just a high school junior.
After his start at the Jones Cup and before he
begins preparing for the upcoming Terra Cotta
Invitational, amateurgolf.com caught up with
Horsfield to discuss his upbringing, golf game
and
exactly where he wants the game of golf to
take him.
amateurgolf.com: You’re originally from
England. When did you move to the United
States?
Sam Horsfield: I was born in and lived in
England for four and a half years. We were on
vacation
in Florida and went back to England and the
heater had broken. We decided to go back to
America and see what it was like and ended
up
living on the golf course. It was perfect.
AGC: How did you get into the game?
SH: It’s always been me and my Dad. Before
we moved over here and were on vacation,
we
got
back from one of the Disney parks and
decided
to just go play. I’ve played almost every day
since that day. I played a few rounds while
living in England but my first event was when
I
was
seven or eight years old and from then I
started taking lessons. I’ve been with Jason
Bell at
Highlands Preserve for seven years.
AGC: We know you have built a
relationship with Ian Poulter. How did that
arise?
SH: I met a guy who went to school with Ian
and introduced me to his caddie. We played
nine
holes here at my course (Highlands Preserve)
and then went to play Lake Nona and that was
about it. We’ve been friends ever since. I beat
him but it wasn’t a serious match.
AGC: Where are you at in the college
selection process?
SH: I’ve been looking at a few colleges but
haven’t made any decisions. It’s definitely still
an
option. I’ve been to Florida and Florida State.
Right now, I’m just playing golf and don’t
really
worry about that at all.
AGC: What does your schedule look like
the rest of the year?
SH: I’m playing in a few Monday PGA Tour
qualifiers. I have the Terra Cotta and then
Sage
Valley. Then in the summer, I’ll be traveling
all
over the country.
AGC: Take me through your game. What
makes you so consistent and able to go low?
SH: I hit a lot of fairways. When I get my
putter going, I can take it pretty low. I don’t
make a
lot of mental mistakes. My misses are usually
in
places where I can get up and down. I try to
leave myself options. I wouldn’t say I play
safe
but I definitely play conservatively.
AGC: The New Years Invitational was
probably your most publicized win but you
have great
wins at the Florida State Amateur and Orlando
City. Take us through those key rounds.
SH: In the state amateur, it was at Jupiter
Hills which was pretty tough. It’s usually a par
72
but they made it a par 70 for us. In the last
round, I started with a three or four shot lead
and
on the first hole, I got up and down for par
and the guy I was playing with made a seven.
From
there, I just putted along and let them make
the mistakes. It was cool at Orlando. I don’t
really
remember too much about it. I was in such a
zone. I remember being nine under after 12
holes.
AGC: Where do you want the game of golf
to take you?
SH: Obviously, I want to be a professional
golfer. But right now, I’m trying to work every
day
and get better. I can’t control a lot so I just
try to do what I can now to dictate what
happens
in the future. I go to the gym and practice so
that when I’m ready to go, I know that I’ll be
prepared.