Sam Stewart, a rising sophomore at Gilman, became the youngest golfer to win the match-play championship in Piney Branch Country Club history on Sunday August 3rd. Stewart was tied with Drew Outten going into the 36th hole and held off Outten to win his third tournament.
DS: How long have you been playing golf?
SS: “I have been playing golf for about four years but competitively for three years.”
DS: Which professional golfer do you admire most, why?
SS: “My favorite golfer is Sergio Garcia. His ball striking is one to look up too. He is my favorite cause our games are normally similar. He hits the ball long off the tee and hits many greens. He does have problems putting. All of those aspects of his game are very similar to mine.”
DS: What did you think when you found that you are the youngest match play winner in Piney Branch’s history?
SS: “I was excited to know that no one younger than me had won and that record might hold on for a little while.”
DS: Talk a little bit about the match-play event at Piney Branch.
SS: “The event took place for two weekends. There were 24 people in the tournament. The number one seed was the defending champion, Charlie palmer, and the next seven were seeded on how people finished in the stroke play championship. The seeds from 9-24 were done according to handicap and I got the 11 seed. Seeds 1-8 got a bye in the first round while seeds 9-24 played on Saturday, July 26th. The next round took place Sunday morning July 27th and then the quarterfinals took place that same afternoon. The semi finals were August 2nd and the 36-hole final was on August 3rd.”
DS: Is Piney Branch your first tournament victory?
SS: “I won a junior tournament that was 2 days in VA beach last
November and a one day tournament in Ocean City last summer. The two
day event, I shot 83-72 and the one day event I shot 71.”
DS: How long have you been a member of Piney Branch CC?
SS: “My dad and I have been Members for about six months now.”
DS: What were some of the difficulties of the course?
SS: “The rough there always plays long and difficult to advance the
ball. The greens are some of the fastest I have been on. The slopes of
the greens make some putts impossible to stop within 10 feet of the
hole.”
DS: I read that you played baseball for years before switching to golf. Why did you decide to change your focus from baseball to golf? Was that a difficult decision?
SS: “It was a difficult decision but in the end I enjoyed playing golf more. Its different when you’re on your own and you don’t have to blame someone else for messing up. You are responsible for making all the decisions whether its to go for the greens or play it safe and I like that freedom.”
DS: How often are you out on the course practicing?
SS: “Well, since I can’t drive, I either get dropped off at the course at 8 in the morning and have to stay until 6 at night or I stay home all day. I probably go to the course three or four times a week and I will play a round and practice for a while. On weekends, I will probably be there for a few hours and spend the rest of the time at home with family.”
DS: Were you a varsity golfer last year with Gilman? How did the team fare last season?
SS: “I was on varsity last year and we won the MIAA A Conference Championship at Caves Valley against Calvert Hall. It was a nice win since we lost last year in the finals. Our number one last year, Brad Miller, came close at the individual championship but lost in a playoff.”
DS: How are the Greyhounds looking going into next season?
SS: “We should do pretty well. We lost our number one and two in Brad Miller and Jason Frankel, which will hurt us a bit this year. Our top four will be solid but we will look for some people to fill in the five and six spots.”
DS: Where does the Gilman team practice/play home games?
SS: “Last year, we played at Greenspring Valley because Elkridge, our normal home, was under renovation. This year I think we will be back at Elkridge.”
DS: How has playing high school golf helped your game progress?
SS: “High school golf I think has helped me deal with pressure. The first time I was under pressure during the season I left a 3-foot put a foot and half short to lose my match. At the end of the season, Linn Worthington an I were playing 5 and 6 in the final match and we pulled thru to close out the win for the team. If I didn’t know how to deal with pressure, I don’t think I could have made that final five footer to win 1 up.”
DS: What are some of the goals you have for yourself this high school season?
SS: “Some personal goals would be not to give up a single point all throughout the season and be in contention at the individual championships, but most of all I would like to repeat our championship.”
– Brandon Hopp
bhopp@digitalsports.com
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