U.S. Amateur Championship: More Than Golf for Carlson, Mueller
8/11/2017 10:52:00 AM | Men's Golf, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Nick Carlson and Kyle Mueller have the University of Michigan men's golf team on the rise, and they've qualified to play in the prestigious U.S. Amateur Championship beginning Monday (Aug. 14) in California.
However, both came to realize over the past year that they are playing for more than just themselves and the Wolverines.
Mueller's mother, Monica, who owned a veterinary hospital in their hometown of Athens, Georgia, died July 7, 2016, after an automobile crash near Hilton Head, South Carolina.
"My mom is still right there with me, watching down on me," said Mueller. "Every time I step on the golf course, I'm playing for something bigger than myself.
"She only played golf two or three times a year, but her one big accomplishment was that she shot a hole-in-one. I was there to witness that, and my dad (Eric) has yet to have one in 40 years of golf. And she used to hold that over his head."
He chuckled, recalling the good times with his parents. His father now runs the animal hospital in addition to his duties as the chief of staff at the University of Georgia Large Animal Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.
Carlson, a junior from Hamilton, Michigan, also came to learn that he was playing for more than the usual things. That realization came as a result of receiving one of the last letters golf legend Arnold Palmer sent to congratulate Carlson for finishing in the Final Four of the August 2016 U.S. Amateur at the Oakland Hills Country Club in suburban Detroit.
"I'm just trying to be a better person off the golf course," Carlson said of the lasting impact of Palmer's thoughtful letter. "After the U.S. Amateur, I had a lot of junior golfers in the state of Michigan who began to idolize me. So, I want to live up to that and do anything I can for them. I give them the time of day when they want to talk because they gave me the time of day to watch. I try to honor that recognition every time I get it."
Carlson said it "became a goal" to give back to young golfers the way Palmer gave back to him as a result of receiving that letter, now framed and hanging on a wall in his room. Palmer's letter was mailed Sept. 8, and he died 17 days later. Carlson didn't receive the letter until returning to a golf course where he worked in October, and reading it was a chilling experience.
The Army lives on. Thank you Mr. Palmer. pic.twitter.com/gYoBqXFDQi
— Nick Carlson (@CarlsonNickJ) October 7, 2016
Palmer won the 1954 U.S. Amateur at the Country Club of Detroit, played collegiately at Wake Forest, and often encouraged young golfers who also excelled in the game he did so much to popularize in the 1950s and 1960s.
"I understand that you are a serious student of our great game of golf," Palmer wrote in the three-paragraph letter, "as well as a good student and player at the University of Michigan.
"Keep up the good playing. I wish you the very best in whatever pursuit you choose to follow."
Carlson recalled his favorite passage from the letter:
"Where he said, 'Whatever you do in the future, do it well and do it with honor.' That sticks out the most because it doesn't have to do with just golf, but anything in life. That's the biggest thing. Arnold off the course was quite a guy to be around, and he was all about being a great person. That's what caught my attention."
Mueller's top accomplishment off the college links was becoming the first Wolverine to qualify for a PGA Grand Slam event in five years by doing so in the 2016 U.S. Open.
"That experience allowed me to see where my game needs to go to compete at that level," said Mueller. "I have to be more consistent and it made me push myself to get to that next level. My long game and my iron play were really good, but I had a weakness in my wedge game that I had to work on. And I learned to limit my poor rounds."
Carlson and Mueller played recently in the Western Amateur in Skokie, Illinois, and will now get to play together in the U.S. Amateur being held at both The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades and Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles.
"It should be a great experience and there's a lot of history there," Mueller said of the two courses. "L.A. is also such a great area, and so it should be a fun event. It's going to be a great week for us, and having a teammate playing at the same time makes it special. With everything Nick did last year, I'm hoping his mojo will rub off on me this year."
Carlson added, "It makes it a little more relaxing and enjoyable to be there with Kyle, and I'm really looking forward to it. Kyle and I practice a lot, and it's fun to see how our games stack up against one another's. We're getting better, and our relationship is pretty cool."
They helped set a Michigan single-round record with a 270 (14 under par) last season in the final round of the Inverness Intercollegiate in Toledo, Ohio.
"That was the highlight from last season for sure," said Carlson. "But that's the kind of game Michigan is capable of playing in any event. We just have to have everyone do it at the same time. That lit a fire under everyone's butt, and hopefully we can figure some things out for this year."
Mueller added, "Obviously, we set a record, and so it's the best we ever played as a team. But it shows that we have the potential. We're all great players, and it's just a matter of putting up four or five good scores that day to really help the team out.
"We lacked depth when I was a freshman, but in every year since we've gotten deeper in the lineup, and anyone on our team is capable of winning a tournament. We have three really good incoming freshmen, and so we're only going to get better. The possibilities are endless."
Both golfers credited Michigan golf coach Chris Whitten for impacting them.
"Coach Whitten ingrained it in me that you can't ride a low and that you just have to let that round go," said Carlson. "He told me how good of a player I am, and I didn't really believe him. But I started playing better and better golf, and started to believe it myself."
Carlson was a tournament individual medalist twice last year, including the Inverness Collegiate, when he shot a personal best 67 and won the outright title in a playoff with Duke's Jake Shuman. Carlson averaged career-best 72.53 per round and finished tied for 16th at the Big Ten Championships.
Carlson added on Whitten: "The positive attitude and spirit he brings out gives every kid on the team confidence second to none. He's a dad figure to the team, and you can also go to him with any question about golf. He means a lot to myself and the whole team. It's a big deal to our team culture."
Mueller set the Michigan record in single-season scoring with a 71.36 average last season as a junior. He also tied or set program marks with a single-round score of 64, 36-hole total of 138 and 54-hole score of 198. He was a Golf Week All-America honorable mention selection, as well as a GCAA All-America Scholar and made All-Big Ten first team for the third consecutive year.
"When we were being recruited," said Mueller, "we were both looking for a place where we could grow and develop, and we've done that. Without the support and guidance of Coach Chris and (assistant coach) Patrick (Wilkes-Krier), I don't think we'd be where we are today. (Whitten) is definitely the dad of the team, and easy to talk to. He's my mentor and has great qualities. He wants us to achieve all of our dreams. We also learned a lot from upperclassmen, and attribute our growth to that.
"Winning the Big Ten championship and a national championship would mean a lot more than individual honors. I mean, they are great, but at the end of the day we're all looking for a Big Ten championship or a national title. We're definitely headed in the right direction and are only going to get better."
Players Mentioned
