Brownsburg golfer pursues pro career

Sports

July 2, 2009

By Stephen Copeland The Hendricks County Flyer Thu Jul 02, 2009, 11:23 PM EDT

In the Winings’ living room, there is a picture of their son, Andy, hitting golf balls at age 4. Through grade school, middle school, high school, and college, Andy never stopped swinging the golf club. And he doesn’t plan on stopping soon.

Andy Winings, a 2005 Brownsburg High School graduate who just finished his fourth year at the University of Kentucky, has his mind set on playing professional golf.

“I can’t picture myself doing anything else but playing golf for a living,” Andy said. “I know that sounds weird and cocky, but since I was a little kid, that’s all I wanted to do.”

Andy turned pro one month ago, after his senior season ended. He tried to qualify for two Nationwide Tour events at the beginning of the summer in Arkansas but missed the cut in the first tournament by a stroke and played poorly in the second tournament.

“I have not made any money,” he laughed. “I’m in the hole.”

The remainder of the summer, he has the Waterloo Open (Iowa), the Cedar Rapids Open (Iowa), the Indiana Open Championship, and possibly the Powerbilt Kentucky Open. He may also try to qualify for one more Nationwide Tour event.

He returns to the University of Kentucky this fall to complete his communication degree and raise $30,000 for his professional endeavors. While taking 12-15 credit hours, he hopes to attend PGA q-school (qualifying school) and earn his tour card. If he can make it to the third stage in q-school, he will have a good chance of playing on the PGA Tour or Nationwide Tour.

“I don’t think there is any doubt he can do it,” said Andy’s father, B.G., the Director of Golf at The Trophy Club in Lebanon. “Potentially, he has plenty enough talent to play on the PGA Tour.”

Andy attributed much of his success thus far to his father’s support, instruction, and friendship.

“Honestly, yeah, I would consider him to be my best friend,” Andy said. “He’s the person I look up to more than anyone.”

B.G. introduced Andy to golf at 3. Even though B.G. was a golfer himself, he never pressured Andy to play.

“You could tell when he was 4 or 5 years old that golf was going to be his game,” B.G. said. “He just enjoyed it.”

Because of their common love for golf, Andy and B.G. developed a unique relationship that extended beyond father and son. B.G. was Andy’s swing coach, encourager, and friend.

“That’s very special to me,” B.G. said. “I didn’t realize Andy would call me his best friend. That chokes me up a little bit and makes me feel real good. Because his interests and my interests are the same, it’s just special.”

The two of them fish every Tuesday (B.G.’s day off) and duck hunt together during the winter. They are outdoorsmen.

“We are pretty much the same person,” Andy said.

They see one another at The Trophy Club as well, where Andy practices every day for at least six hours. Unlike most golfers, he enjoys every minute of it. Rarely does a day go by that Andy isn’t on the course.

“It was not unusual for the team schedule to have Saturday as an off day and yet Andy would spend pretty much the entire day at our practice facility at the University Club of Kentucky,” said University of Kentucky head golf coach Brian Craig. “He definitely led by example with his work ethic and passion for the game of golf.”

His passion, practice, and perseverance have paid off so far. His freshman year at the University of Kentucky, after a third-place state finish his senior year at Brownsburg, the Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Championships and finished fifth in the nation as a team. Andy finished 15th overall.

The summer after his sophomore season, Andy won the Indiana Amateur Championship and during his junior year at Kentucky, he won the Palmas Del Mar Intercollegiate in Puerto Rico.

Wrapping up his career at UK, he finished in the top 20 every tournament in the spring, was ranked 54th in the nation with a 72.57 average, and was named All-Southeastern Conference second team — the most competitive conference in the NCAA — for the second time in his career. He didn’t miss a single tournament all four years at Kentucky.

Now, on the brink of achieving his lifelong goal, he faces his biggest challenge yet.

“When you are in high school, you have a dream but it’s five, six, or seven years away,” Andy said. “Now it’s to the point, where it’s right there. I’m looking forward to the opportunity and the challenge to go out and chase my dreams. Not very many people get to chase their dreams. If it doesn’t work out for some reason, I know it won’t be because of lack of effort.”

Andy’s first priority is to earn his degree but if he attends q-school, the pre-qualifying steps begin in September.

“I’ve always had that dream and it’s always been my goal,” Andy said. “It’s right there in front of me now.”

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