John McCracken '23 Recruiting Profile

My name is John McCracken, I am 19 years old and I am from Troon in Scotland. I have been studying and playing Junior College Golf in the United States at Southern Union State Community College in Alabama since Fall 2021, having been awarded a Scholarship by the college to compete for them in their new College Golf Programme. 

Since joining the SUSCC Programme I have established myself as the number 1 ranked player in the team by finishing best or 2^nd best team player. From the 5 tournaments so far this season I have 2 victories, a 17^th and 20^th place finishes as well as team runners up in a Matchplay tournament, where I unfortunately lost on the last hole for tournament MVP. I am the first SUSCC player to win an individual college tournament and helped the college win their first ever tournament in Fall 22.

My scoring average this season is 73, with scoring ranging from 68 (-3) to 78 (+6) over 9 competitive rounds so far. My Golf stat ranking currently shows that I am number 46 in the US Junior College Division and number 5 in Alabama. In my Freshman year my scoring average was 76.5 over 20 competitive rounds. I missed qualifying individually for the nationals by 2 strokes at the District Finals, finishing in 12^th Place. 

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  • Personally, I would describe myself as 

  • Mature, having left Scotland to come to the USA alone at 18, 
  • Hard working as I always strive to be my best and to improve, 
  • Committed, having stayed in the US during tough periods last year
  • Determined, in wanting to succeed and bounce back from whatever life throws at me to be the best I can be
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• I want to take my golf to the highest possible level and be the best that I can be. I am an excellent team player, firmly believing in the adage that there is no 'I' in TEAM. I have had the honour to lead both my Club and County teams on many occasions, and would have been a member of the Scottish Boys Team if it were not for the Covid Pandemic curtailing all competition. As I was mostly first out in team matches and nearly always first finished, I was out supporting and encouraging my team mates. My experience of matchplay is well above average as that is the common format in UK Junior Golf. My experience has also taught me to be aware technically of my swing and allows me to self-analyse via video of where I am lacking technique wise and make improvements. This ability will stand me in good stead in future for coaching roles.

• The level of competition in the NCAA Divisions is tough but I firmly believe that I have the ability to compete with the best players, having beaten Div II college players at tournaments already this year, and be an asset to any college team. My chosen Major is Business Management. Golf is not just about hitting a little white ball with a stick any more. It is like most sports nowadays with a big business side that works in tandem with the golf side, with sponsorship and business management just as important as the golf if you want to succeed in the sport.

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I have been playing golf since I was 5 years old and in that time I have accomplished a lot personally and for the team that I play for:-

• Finished 5th in Scottish U16's Junior Open 2019
• Ayrshire Junior Order of Merit Winner 2018
• West of Scotland Inter-County League Winners 2018 & 2019 playing for the Ayrshire County team
• Irvine Golf Club Junior Club Champion 2017, Runner-up 2018, Singles Handicap Champion 2017 & 2018, Doubles Handicap Champion 2017 & 2018
• Scottish Junior Club Champions 2018 with Kilmarnock (Barassie), representing the Club at the Home Nations Finals in Portugal
• Finished 20^th in the Scottish Boys Championship 2021
• Included as part of the Kilmarnock (Barassie) men’s team Summer 2022 and won 4 matches, drew 1 and lost 1.

Away from Golf I was a member of the Troon Handball team that won the Scottish Handball Championships