SCGA Member Byron Meth Prepares For Masters

April 02, 2015

Last year, SCGA Member Byron Meth of Sycuan Golf Resort won the final playing of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, earning himself a spot in the 2015 Masters. We spoke to Byron via phone as he began his Masters week preparations.

What are your thoughts as you get ready to go to Augusta?

I've been practicing at school (University of Pacific), and came out to Augusta on Wednesday actually. The course isn't impossible tee to green. I plan to spend most of my time around the greens, giving myself the best opportunity to shoot a low score.

Had you played the course before this week?

I went out in December and played six rounds after finals, spent a bit of time out here. I just wanted to enjoy it. It's an honor to play here, but it's also so much fun, something I've dreamed of forever. To have the opportunity to play there by myself and hang out, it was an experience I never thought I'd have.

What surprised you most about the course at Augusta?

The holes that you don't really see on TV. Like No. 7 you see a little bit of, but for the most part No. 7 is almost forgotten on TV from my memory. It's a really good golf hole. You have to have to work it against the fairway, have to hit a good tee shot. Little things like that that don't get highlighted during tournament week. Also you don't realize how deep the bunkers are greenside on No. 5. You hear about Amen Corner, 17, 18. But you get there and No. 4 is a 240 par 3 you don't realize the difficulty of. The front nine isn't on TV a whole lot so that's where most of the surprises are.

How have things been different for you since winning a USGA Championship?

It's been different, but not a whole lot different. I'm just sticking to my process. Certainly try to enjoy all of the opportunity that has come from it. That's the biggest thing. The opportunity that has come from winning this summer. On a basic level of practice, workouts, class it's not a lot different. A few more people recognize me because I've been on ESPN and all that. It's much of the same. But in terms of competitions, I've been able to be in tournaments with better golf at a higher level. I still enjoy the game and it's the love of it that keeps me going. This has definitely given me the opportunity to set myself up to turn pro at the end of this summer.

During the process of winning the U.S. Amateur Public Links, at what point did you realize you'd like get an invitation to go to the Masters?

I realized it before I had the 15-footer to win on the first playoff hole, which I only needed to two-putt for the victory. Growing up I'd envision a putt that I had to sink to win the U.S. Open. First hole of this extra match is to go to the Masters, pretty similar, so it helped get me back in the frame of mind that I would have been in late in the evening putting with my coach. People say to try and stay in the moment but for me it was better to think about because there was so much going on, couple 100 people following the match, and it helped me zone in because it's something I've practiced before. Making pressure putts when they count.

What's your plan this week at Augusta?

Well I headed out here Wednesday with my longtime coach Bob Madsen (Director of Instruction at Sycuan). These four days with him are really going to be special. We've talked about it forever. It's always been something we've known I had the potential to do it, it was just a matter of actually doing it. To do it in my last year as an amateur, it's something I'm really excited about still. My parents, sister, coach, we're all staying in a house together this week. We have a lot of people coming to support and watch and I'm looking forward to spending time with the people that have been there for me the entire time.

What's the plan post-Masters?

Our conference championship starts the 13th after Masters Sunday, so if I can make my flight Sunday night I'm taking a red eye straight to Los Angeles and playing Monday morning. I'd land in LA at midnight, tee times start at 7 a.m. Then I'll stay amateur over summer, and plan to go to Q-school.

Meth is also joined in the Masters field by SCGA member Gunn Yang, winner of last year's U.S. Amateur. Stay tuned to scga.org for more on their Masters experience.

- Interview by Julia Pine



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tjbrenna

Handicap Index: 11.6
Monday, April 20, 2015

Nice article.