Sam Sommerhauser understands all too well that there are good and bad days on the golf course.
And the senior has seen just about everything as a Wildcat.
As a freshman, he only played in three events.
As a junior, the Wildcats didn’t make the NCAA Championships.
And this year he was racking up great rounds — a third place at Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate, one of the lowest tournament score (7 under) at the Arizona N.I.T. and the lowest Wildcat round of the season (67) at the Western Intercollegiate.
However, the week after carding that lowest round, he didn’t make the Wildcats’ squad that traveled to the Pac-12 Championships.
He turned that down around pretty quickly not only making the travel squad for the NCAA Regionals in West Lafayette, Indiana, a few weeks later, he also led the Wildcats to their fourth place finish and a spot in the NCAA Championships.
“Golf is a crazy game,” UA coach Jim Anderson said. “It’s filled with ups and downs and (Sam) oftentimes found himself in our top five and had some great finishes.
Arizona’s Sam Sommerhauser watches his tee shot from the 18th in the final round of the National Invitational Tournament at Omni Tucson National on Jan. 30.
“The reality is the line of five versus six, it changes all the time and Sam on that particular week was just on the outside of that line, and he handled it like a champ. He's a true team player and was hungry and ready for his next opportunity," Anderson said. "I think he just put his hard hat back on and went to work.”
The Wildcats hope Sommerhauser continues with more good rounds as Arizona starts play Friday in the NCAA Championships at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.
Thirty teams will be competing in 54 holes of stroke play before the field is narrowed to 15, then the final eight move into match play to determine this year’s champion.
The Wildcats are vying for the UA program's second national championship.
Sommerhauser came out on fire at the regionals. He put up rounds of 71 and 69 in the first two days of competition. He finished at 2 under overall to finish in a tie for 14th individually.
All about putting
During that and his other top rounds this season, Sommerhauser said it’s all in his putting. It’s something he worked on a lot over the offseason. He thinks the key was actually the silver lining in a mishap. His putter broke on a flight, so instead of ordering the same model from Callaway, his sponsor, he tried something new: the Odyssey Versa Jailbird putter (Odyssey is a Callaway brand).
It’s the same putter he saw Rickie Fowler, Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley using on the PGA Tour. The weight is balanced, so the golfer is using more of the arms and body instead of just their wrists.
It’s also been said that the black and white color helps the golfer see the ball better.
Sommerhauser agrees.
“It looks really good on the ground and I think gave me that little confidence to help my putting,” Sommerhauser.
He has continued the focus on practicing his putting during the season. His routine leading up to the NCAAs this weekend is the same as every other one, “I hit a ton of putts.”
Arizona senior golfer Sam Sommerhauser speaks during the dedication of University of Arizona's William M. "Bill" Clements Golf Center at Tucson Country Club on April 18.
“The greens are different everywhere and I think I speed on the greens is super important,” Sommerhauser said. “I feel like I hit more putts than pretty much anybody. I feel like maybe I don't focus as much on the full swing. That's one of the things I've learned throughout this year. Just to get used to the speed of the greens takes the pressure off when you can like lag a 30 footer to like a foot every time you can get less stressful rounds going.”
Though on the course, Sommerhauser rarely looks stressed. His demeanor, whether it’s a big moment like playing for a championship or just emotions during a round, doesn’t change.
“Sam is a relentless worker,” Anderson said. “He’s very, very competitive and you don't necessarily see it. He's very composed. You don't see the ups and downs with him. You can't tell he does some great things and he just calmly picks the ball out of the hole, might even have his head down just a little bit. Because he's not seeking attention. He loves to compete, and he wants to do well and he's a competitor, but you don't see it on the outside.”
Sommerhauser started playing golf with the neighborhood kids at the nearby course. He quickly got hooked on the sport and the idea that you are always working on getting better. He started working with his coach, Phil Dawson, when he was 12 years old.
He went on to win the 2019 Boys’ Pro-Junior PGA championship and play high school golf at Whitney High School in Rocklin, California, just a few years ahead of Wildcat teammate and best friend, Zach Pollo. Both love watching the NBA together despite following different teams. Pollo likes the Sacramento Kings while Sommerhauser is a Los Angeles Lakers fan.
Sommerhauser thinks there is something special about this year’s Wildcats.
Each week a different Wildcat carries the team. It was Tiger Christensen winning at the Stephens Cup and Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate; Pollo has had numerous Top 10 and Top 3 finishes and Flip Jakubcik winning the Western Intercollegiate.
Add in Johnny Walker, Tianyi Xiong and Sommerhauser; all have carded many good rounds this year.
It’s a “belief in one another,” he said.
One way this has grown is the tightness of these Wildcats. Last week they played games like Taboo and Code Names and bowled. Sommerhauser won the bowling match, of course. Just another sport he's had more reps in than his teammates; he bowls in the summers with his mom, Stacey.
Anderson calls Sommerhauser the Wildcats’ anchor.
“He's just completely reliable,” Anderson said.
“You just know the person you're coaching. You know the player you're going to have and he's just awesome. He's great for our team and couldn't be prouder and more excited for what he's done and where he's going.”
Chip Shots
• Sommerhauser will attend the PGA Tour America’s qualifying school in June. This tour is like the Double A equivalent of golf. He also hopes to play in one-day qualifiers for the PGA Tour events.
• UA women’s assistant Braden Ash is joining Anderson and his assistant, Matt Walton, this weekend in Carlsbad.
“He’ll be a huge asset for us,” Anderson said. “There's usually a few extra things that go on at Nationals including scouting the course while the morning wave is being played.”
William M. "Bill" Clements Golf Center Dedication | April 28, 2024 (Arizona Athletics YouTube)
