In the Spotlight: Brett McIntosh
10/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Brett McIntosh did not waste very much time establishing himself as one of the top Wolverines during his rookie campaign, leading the team in three events and continuing that play during his sophomore campaign, including a win at Indiana's Hoosier Invitational. This season the London, Ontario, native was ready to take that next step, along with teammate Chris O'Neill, and lead a young Wolverine team back to an NCAA regional. However, it has been a bumpy journey so far for the big-hitting lefty. He was unable to really focus on playing this summer due to illness. As he returned to Ann Arbor, he opened the season with a strong performance in a team win at the Wolverine Intercollegiate, but he found himself still run down. Despite those feelings, he has continued to battle through it for the team. He has started the last three events and is scheduled to play in the fall finale at Baylor. He knows he may not be performing up to his expectations, but he is out grinding and helping U-M in any way he can. While Brett and the rest of the Wolverines prep for the fall finale at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate, he took a few minutes from practice to talk about his season as well as the team's season in MGoBlue.com's spotlight segment.
On what he thinks of U-M's fall season so far ... "We've had a little bit of a different fall season. We had three events right in a row to start the year. The guys were on a high after winning the Wolverine (Intercollegiate). After playing well at home on a course we are very familiar, we played Olympia Fields the very next week. That is a very different course because it is so big and long. We played okay, but we knew we left some shots out there. Then we had another event right after that at the Windon (Memorial) where we found a mix of length and comfort and nearly pulled off another victory. So, at that point we were able to see both sides of the spectrum in terms of competitive courses. Then we went to California and we weren't quite clicking on all cylinders. That happens sometimes, but we're looking forward to a couple of weeks of good practice and finishing the fall on a good note to propel us into the off-season training."
On his recovery from this summer's illness ... "It's been tough, kind of a battle in my head. I see myself out there and once I'm out there I forget about it. Once I'm out there I should be on a level playing field and competing with everyone else. It's tough because of the balance of that and realizing that things aren't how I want them to be and my body feels. It's been a mix of trying to be competitive but also understanding the reality."
On how does U-M continue to improve and lose the 'young team' moniker ... "You see the summer schedules of the guys and they're playing some very high-profile events. It wasn't quite done like that before. I think it helps some guys see and experience different things and come into this season ready despite being young. We probably have more experience on the course at this point, but the numbers have not quite matched up. It's a work in progress. We know we should be scoring better, and when we do that the positioning will be better."
On if there are advantages of being lefty ... "It's a bit tougher to get equipment and get things changed when needed. For the most part, I just look at courses a bit differently than some guys. I have a different ball flight than some other guys. It's actually a great balance, especially have Reed (Hrynewich) being a lefty as well. We are able to share ideas with each other and the other guys. So, we can learn from each other based on our shot shapes."
On what he does for fun other than golf ... "Right now it has been a lot of sleeping (laughing). I like to see my family back home and hang out with my friends. I like to see movies with them and then put my feet up for a while and relax before the next day of practice."
On his favorite types of movies ... "I like movies that make you think. So, movies like Inception and Shutter Island, which are both Leonardo DiCaprio movies. But ones that make you think after you leave the building are the ones I like best."
On if he were American and on the Ryder Cup team, who he would want to be paired with for the first two days and who he would want to play against in the final singles match to win it ... "I would probably want to be paired with a guy like Matt Kuchar. He has a similar personality to me on the course; I don't let things get to me very much. I like to be relaxed and mellow and our personalities would match. He's an outstanding putter and I could always trust him to hit the putts for me. In the final match, I would want to play against Sergio Garcia because I really like his game and he is an incredible ball-striker. He's so fiery and I like to bring guys like that down because it can hurt the team's momentum and their overall emotions."
• Previous Spotlight: Tom Swanson
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
