Sam McMillan '23 Recruiting Profile

I have always prided myself on my ability to adapt and overcomes challenges. Whether this means being placed in a higher-level course throughout my schooling and welcoming the academic pressure or whether this means playing one of my worst rounds on the course but spending every last second dedicating it to learning and bettering myself as a golfer. Golf has always been such a large part of my life because it mirrors the morals and ethics which I live by every day. 

I became interested in golf at an early age which I will forever thank my parents for, especially my mother, which might be unexpected. She pushed me to try the sport. And by pushing me to get out of the car the very first time she dropped me off as a five-year-old at a group golf lesson, she pushed me into an environment which neither her or I could have ever anticipated effecting my life as much as it has. It has engulfed my family in the absolute best ways possible; through Saturdays morning tee times with my dad, to family putting competitions, and even witnessing my sister, who never was known to be an acclaimed athlete, come to love it as much as I do. With every part of my being, I fell in love with the sport, the rules and the minor details. I have always enjoyed schooling in general, particularly mathematics, and I have dedicated so much of myself to the minor details of academics which has acquired me so much success. This translates precisely to the hours I spend at the range watching my own film getting down to the angles of my back swing and the centimeters I keep between my feet when swinging a wood versus an iron. I have always lived in the details. Which at times has its downfalls and can make me frustrated, but with that same frustration, I have had to learn to maintain absolute serenity throughout my rounds. I have come to learn that letting the sport effect you is natural, if you care enough about it then it should, but letting it destroy you is not by any means the fault of the sport, but the fault of your own ego.

One of the greatest challenges I overcame was transferring schools, luckily to a school similar to mine, but nonetheless it taught such strength and confidence which I would not trade for the world and which follow me onto the golf course. I had the great privilege of being a part of my current team, at Bishop England High School, which has most importantly taught me that golf at a high school and college level is, by no means, is an individual sport. While you see your opponent, you are paired with a lot more than your actually teammates during competition, you rely on the guidance and encouragement of your team to keep you going. This sport is brutal. It isolates you to an extend at which you feel like you are truly alone, but this team has, and I am sure will continue to, not let me stray from their sense of family. I am looking forward to my final years as a high school golfer and I am beyond excited to find yet again another family to give me a soft smile at the end of a round, a pat on the back, or tell me a joke, to make me realize that in reality I am beyond lucky to have ever step foot on any course I play. To know every guy standing next to me at our team meetings feels the exact same way is what makes me grasp the overwhelmingly abundant power of golf.