ELON, N.C. – The North Carolina native, Garett Risner, has begun his senior spring with the Elon University men's golf team in scorching fashion. He added another CAA Men's Golfer of the Week honor to his resume after his performance of 7-under par, which tied for first place individually at the Battle of Briar's Creek in Johns Island, South Carolina.
Even in an individual sport like golf, winning an award like this one comes with the support of both teammates and coaches.
"I would like to thank the coaching staff and the players I've been around with and just giving me tips here and there," Risner said.
As a team, Elon finished tied for fourth place overall with 10-under par. Each member competing finished within the top-50.
"Each [person] brings some differences to the table and each one of them are a great person," Risner said.
The tournament in John's Island marked the start of the spring season for the Phoenix, bringing with it challenges such as rust and limited play outdoors during the winter months.
"Usually, the biggest challenge for me coming into the spring season is I kind of get off to a slower start because you're coming out of winter, and you don't practice as much," Risner said.
No matter how Risner felt, heading into round one and hitting bogey-free showed that he had nothing to worry about heading into round two.
"It's always nice to get off to a start where you shoot well," Risner said. "But on top of it, to not make any mistakes is a confidence boost, so that takes the pressure off you of worrying about hitting a bad shot."
With the Donald Ross Collegiate Classic in Pinehurst, North Carolina, on March 10 approaching, Risner aims to maintain the positive direction of his game leading into the tournament.
"I don't want to change much," Risner said. "My game plan's been working and I've played Mid Pines probably 25 times, so knowing the course again is going to help."
While winning accolades and competing with teammates is exciting, Risner believes that moments with the team off the course will be remembered the most from his time at Elon.
"I would probably just say it's more of the team trips where we have gotten to go, like Scotland, Ireland, Puerto Rico and even California," Risner said. "Being with teammates on those trips and having experiences with them is probably what I'll remember out of my career here."
With his time at Elon ending this spring, Risner is already looking ahead to his next journey.
"I am going to stay amateur for the summer and then I'm going to turn pro right before Qualifying School," Risner said.
In PGA Tour Qualifying School, or Q-School, up-and-coming professionals compete in pro-level tournaments with the prize of earning PGA Tour playing privileges and a PGA Tour card. Risner would be the first Phoenix to play PGA golf since John Somers, who played at Elon from 2009 to 2014.
'Rising Phoenix' is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Chase Strawser at cstrawser@elon.edu.
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