 In the Spotlight:
William McGirt '01
Will McGirt '01 is a former Southern Conference Championship medalist and pro-golfer who has competed in the eGolf and PGA Tours. We talked with Will about the ups and downs of life as a professional athlete and how he stays positive.
Q: Since leaving Wofford as a Southern Conference Championship medalist, you’ve had an active career as a professional golfer, participating in the eGolf Tour (formerly the Tarheel Tour) for the last five years and even qualifying for a PGA Tour event in 2007. During golf season, what’s a typical day like for you?
During the season, I typically will practice for 2-3 hours about 5 days a week. What I spend my time working on depends on how I am playing at the time. I do spend about half of my practice time chipping, putting, and hitting pitch shots from 60 yards and in. One thing I have learned is that you can never make enough putts! I will usually play 3-4 times per week on my off weeks.
Q: What is your day like during the off-season?
The off season is completely different for me. I usually wait until the off-season to make any major changes in my game. I spend more time hitting balls and working any changes into my game. I usually take 2-4 weeks off after Q-School just to rest and recharge after a long year. How much I play depends on the weather. I am not a huge fan of cold weather so I may go a week or so without playing. There are quite a few professionals that live in the Greenville/Spartanburg area so we get some good games.
Q: What do you enjoy most about the game?
Golf is not a game that can be mastered and I enjoy the challenge of trying to improve. I have been fortunate enough to play some of the best golf courses in the country and that has been a lot of fun. One of the great things about golf is the people you meet and get to play with. I have a lot of good friends on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour.
Q: Are there other golf professionals who have influenced you?
Every time I play golf, I try to learn something from each round and I also try to learn from everyone I play with. I have learned a lot by playing with my friends on Tour. I have picked up a lot of good practice drills and some games to play when I am out practicing.
Q: Thus far, what would you consider to be the highlight of your golf career?
I would say winning my first TarHeel Tour event is the highlight of my career. Qualifying for my first PGA Tour event, the Wyndham Championship, would definitely be up there.
Q: What has been the most disappointing or challenging period in your career?
The most disappointing thing has been missing the finals of Q-School in 2007 and in 2008 by 1 shot. I would rather miss by 100 than by 1. Everything in life happens for a reason, and I know there are things I need to work on so that I will be prepared when I do make it through Q-School. Missing in 2008 was especially frustrating because my knee really flared up during the 2nd stage of Q-School. It was especially frustrating because it was painful to walk, swing, and practice. I couldn’t really prepare like I wanted to because of my knee.
Q: How did your knee surgery affect your playing? Did it motivate you to focus more?
My knee prevented me from practicing and working on my game like I wanted to. I was making compensations in my swing to keep my knee from hurting as bad. As a result, I wasn’t able to hit some of the shots I needed to be able to hit and I started to struggle a bit. The big problem was not knowing when it was going to hurt. It forced me to focus more on each shot. I wasn’t able to go for some par 5’s because I couldn’t go after shots like I wanted to.
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William McGirt
Q: After finishing the eGolf tour in October, you’ll begin PGA qualifying rounds. In 2008, you missed qualifying in the final round by 1 stroke. In a game where luck can be as important as skill, how do you handle a near-miss?
As painful as my 2 near-misses have been, I have tried to stay positive by telling myself that I have to let it happen. The best thing you can do is forget about it. Golf is not a game where you can force anything to happen. I have to remind myself to trust what I am doing and keep working on my game. It will all work out in the end.
Q: Do you do anything special to prepare yourself mentally before you play?
I have a gameplan before I walk to the first tee of any tournament round. The night before a tournament round I will go over how I want to play each hole. We don’t always know where the hole will be placed on the green or where the tee markers will be set, but I try to have a strategy for how I want to attack a hole depending on the hole location, tee placement, and wind direction.
Q: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not golfing?
When I am not playing golf, I am usually hanging around the house spending time with my wife, Sarah ’03. I enjoy working in my yard and watching sports.
Q: What’s your favorite way to celebrate a win?
I am pretty low-key with my celebrations. I take some time to enjoy it and savor the moment.
Q: During your time at Wofford, who was your favorite professor or staff member?
Randy Mahaffey was the first Wofford professor I met. During my senior year in high school I was invited to play in the Bobby Chapman Junior Invitational at the Country Club of Spartanburg. Mr. Mahaffey was on the tournament committee and knew I was being recruited by Wofford so he introduced himself. During my time at Wofford, we had the chance to play golf many times and I still see him whenever I play at the Country Club of Spartanburg.
Q: Do you have a favorite Wofford memory?
One of my favorite Wofford memories was winning the Southern Conference Championship. I had finished 2nd during my junior year. Pat Beste from ETSU hit a 3 iron to 2 feet on the last hole to beat me by a shot. I was able to beat him in a playoff my senior year. I didn’t look at it as revenge…but I did owe him one!
Q: When was the last time you were back on campus?
I drive through campus a few times per month. It is hard to believe how much the campus has changed since I graduated. I am fortunate that Coach Lipscomb and Coach Ridgeway let me practice in the golf room in Andrews Field House on cold and rainy days throughout the year.
Q: Do you have any advice for current Wofford students?
Enjoy your time at Wofford.
Q: What would surprise people to know about you?
I almost went to college on a baseball scholarship.
Read more Young Alumni profiles here.
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