Scott Travers has made quite a name for himself at Santa Clara with his accomplishments on the golf course. Travers enters the spring season ranked No. 13 nationally in the race for the GolfStat Cup and was one of the NCAA leaders in the Fall with his scoring average of 69.4. Last year, Travers was named the second alternate for the USGA Amateur tournament and hopes to compete in the PGA tour eventually. Travers sat down with SantaClaraBroncos.com to talk about his mental strategy and his other interests besides golf.
SantaClaraBroncos.com: What helps keep you focused during the season? What goals have you set for yourself?
Scott Travers: What keeps me focused is the desire to be the best that I can possibly be and do something that's never been done here at Santa Clara before. Our team goals are to win the conference and make it to regionals, but my personal goals are to be the best player in the WCC and hopefully become an All-American.
SCB.com: Do you think that you and the team are in the right position to achieve those goals?
ST: After this past fall, I think I've put myself in a good position to achieve that goal. We have four more tournaments left, and so far as a team we're right where we need to be.
SCB.com: Most people see golf as a pretty individual sport, how is the experience playing on a team together with nine other players? Do you all support each other?
ST: We're definitely competitive against each other because that's the nature of the sport, but we all help each other out as well. We all give each other tips, it's more of "Hey, I've been seeing that you've been having problems with this, I use this technique, see if it works for you," stuff like that. We have a good relationship with each other; it's not fun to play if you don't like the guys who you're playing with.
SCB.com: In addition to the numerous hours on the course, what other types of physical activity do you do to stay in shape for golf?
ST: We lift weights a few times a week; we work the upper and lower body but the most important thing we work on is core. The weight training definitely helps since you use your whole body in the swing.
SCB.com: How do you mentally prepare for each tournament?
ST: I just try to take everything one step at a time and try not to get ahead of myself; it's a lot of focusing on the present moment. If you keep going "what if, what if" in your head, then you're not helping yourself.
SCB.com: In addition to golf, what other sports do you like to watch?
ST: I watch a lot of basketball, especially during March Madness. I went to a couple basketball games here and had a good time. I enjoy watching football a lot as well.
SCB.com: What is one of your favorite memories from golf?
ST: My sophomore year, we played at my home course and won the tournament. I also ended up winning the individual tournament, so that was definitely memorable for me.
