Austin Briggs '15 Recruiting Profile

I did not start playing golf till 4 years ago my sophomore year of high school.  As a former baseball player I was very behind having had little golf experience.  The summer I quit baseball after my freshman year of high school I set the high goal of making my school’s varsity golf team.  I ultimately overcame the obstacle of having only played seriously for about 5 months and made the varsity team through working extremely hard everyday.  In achieving my goal of making varsity my sophomore year I learned the values of commitment, hard work, not giving up, and maintaining a positive attitude having started much later than most players.  These values have helped me continue my level of play having gone from about a 20 handicap to a +2 in 4 short years.  I have applied these values not only in my sport but in the classroom and life as well. 

I decided to play junior college golf once my high school career was over because I wanted to save money and because I wanted to develop my game so I could some day play at the highest level possible for myself.  I decided to go to Orange Coast College my freshman year because I knew they had a good program/team and my goal was to compete for the California junior college state championship.  We came up slightly short finishing 4th in the state, which was decent considering we lost some players during the season.  I had to switch this year to Saddleback college because it is my local community college and I could no longer commute all the way to Orange Coast for family reasons. Playing junior college golf has really given me a chip on my shoulder and fueled me even more to work hard and set high goals.  Also, I have gained much experienced that I lacked before my time playing junior college golf.  This experience has allowed me to continue to improve drastically since I started playing my sophomore year of high school and I believe this gives me great upside for the future that could be impactful for a program. 

No matter what level I have played at I have continued to push myself as well as my teammates.  While golf may be an individual game, I have always made an emphasis to try to raise the level of play of my teammates and set an example for them through hard work.  I believe that I can make an immediate impact on a program with my leadership, work ethic, and competiveness.

I am looking for a school that fits me athletically as well as academically.  No matter what level of collegiate golf I play, I am looking for a team with a winning atmosphere and desire to win.