Chipping and Putting with Christian Vozza
9/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
After it was all said and done, he looked across the green and saw his mom and dad waiting for him like they do at most of his tournaments. He was reminded of this feeling, just like winning the Michigan Amateur Championship this summer. There they were with full smiles, waiting for him to congratulate him.
Senior Christian Vozza knew he had played well all weekend long at the Wolverine Intercollegiate. He knew he had the advantage of playing on his home course. He knew he had been close before, but would this time be enough to win his first collegiate title.
A big hug from his dad and his mom and his mind was set at ease for the moment. As the cards started to come in from the different teams, what he was dreaming of was getting closer than he thought. As the last few cards came in, it was over, the Wolverines had won their own tournament by 11 strokes and he indeed came away with his first collegiate tournament title as an individual.
He did it in grand fashion too.
Vozza was the only player to post all three rounds in the 60s as he fired rounds of four-under 67, with back-to-back two-under 69s. He finished with a career-best seven-under 205 to win by a stroke, shattering his previous best total by five strokes. He became the first Wolverine to win a tournament in four years. He set a new U-M record for a 54-hole tournament passing the record of former U-M great and All-American Michael Harris by a single shot.
As he put it all into perspective, he realized that the team title was more important to him than getting medalist honors. Yes, it was exciting, but the team had finally done it to. That is what Vozza is all about. After growing into his leadership role the last few years, he knew the Maize and Blues struggles on the course would not last forever. He wanted to be part of that new regime to get U-M back on the map. His maturity shows, his play inspires and his team work ethic in contagious.
He may have won a tournament, but he might have done something much more than put another trophy on the mantel. He may have helped kick start the Wolverine program for the future.
Ever humble, Vozza sat down to reflect on the Wolverines record-setting weekend and the future of the program.
On whether or not winning the Wolverine Intercollegiate was special
"I think it is and this win is a great start for us. The Hawkeye (Intercollegiate) was a good start but we could have played better in the last round, we lost and we probably should have taken second place. Since we won our own tournament by a large margin, I think it's a huge confidence boost for us. I can already sense it in the guys because they're already out practicing when we're supposed to be here at 2:30 but they're here at 1:30 or 2:00 to want to practice and continually get better for our next tournament."
On what the weekend has meant for him personally
"I just scored really well this weekend. I was going through my stat sheet and I really didn't hit the ball that well but I made about 80 percent of my up and downs and chipped in a few times. All of that helped me win my first collegiate tournament. It finally happened and it's exciting. It's a little more exciting that it happened here at home and it's given me a lot of confidence."
On the difference of the team this season
"I think it is very different because I didn't really see much of a passion for golf in the previous years that I've played here. Some of the guys didn't want to spend the extra time practicing and we have a lot of guys on the team now who maybe want to make golf their profession. I think that changes your thinking when you go out and practice. It's not just going out and having a good time but it's really taking everything seriously. Everyone on the team right now is very serious and we're all pushing each other and making each other better by shooting low scores and qualifying or by being out on the driving range or putting green and helping each other."
On the difference between individual play and a team concept
"I think it's not just on the course but off the course; we're spending more time together and few of us are living in a house together and we always have the rest of the team over hanging out and getting used to each other. I think that just carries over onto the golf course. We're having a good time with each other in qualifying or practicing and just enjoying it. We're trying to beat each other and whoever plays the best plays. I think everybody has that mindset where they want to play but if they're not playing better than someone else than they're going to want to have that other person play because our team is going to be better in the long run."
On internal competitions making an improvements on the team
"I've always thought that way, always. That's how I play golf and I've grown up that way internally and with the friends I played with on a daily basis. They just made me a better golfer and I always wanted to beat them. In the past, I did sense that some guys still thought they should play even if another person did better than them. I remember some guys talking about it saying, 'I should've played better' or 'he's a good player but I know I'm a better player than he is.' Now, everyone is so close and everyone is shooting good numbers and I think people are realizing that 'Hey, I am not at the top of my game right now so the team needs someone else to step in' and a lot of people have done that."
On individuals picking each other up and helping each other perform
"That's a huge motivation when you're on the course. I like to know where everyone is at and if someone is beating me, I am going to keep on striving to get better, make some more birdies and try and keep on being low on the team. I think that if everyone has that mindset where you're kind of playing individually and trying to go as low as you can and beat the guys on your team during the tournament, it's going to snowball into a good thing."
On whether winning the Michigan Amateur helped him at the Wolverine
"It definitely helped. Coming down the stretch, I was one-under with quite a few to play and I wanted to get into double digits under par. I knew if I did that, I'd definitely have a great chance of winning. I tried to give myself opportunities because I did make a birdie at 16 and a couple pars, and from there it just kind of fell into place."
On whether the Michigan Amateur was a significant step in his career
"Winning that Am was probably the significant step in my career and this weekend just backed it up. My game was really on this summer and I hadn't really been playing that great before but another victory under my belt is giving me much more confidence now. I feel like I can really compete in every single tournament, at least, for the fall. We'll see how it goes in the spring."
On whether or not he looks at himself as the core and leader of the team
"I think a lot of guys look up to me, which I appreciate. We've all worked hard; we've all put in the time. Since my sophomore year, I've pretty much played in every tournament so I think a lot of guys look up to me because of the experience I have. Hopefully, I won't let them down."
On how he thinks the team will carry on through the fall and winter
"This fall, we're pretty much going to be working every week. We just need to keep our minds focused on shooting great numbers, not get too lazy and practice hard. I don't think the guys on the team should get in the mindset that they played decent one week so they're going to be playing the next week. You've got to play great to stay in the lineup. If we keep that victorious attitude in our minds all the time then we'll get through the fall, work hard throughout the offseason and maybe get down south as much as we can, if that's possible. Going into the spring, we start off with a pretty tough schedule. If we don't do well in Puerto Rico, we can't let that bother us because those are the top teams in the nation that are playing year around. Once we start coming back into our Big Ten season, I think Midwest golf is something we're used to and I think that will give us a lot of confidence in the Big Tens and in the Regional finals."
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
