Patrick Flavin: The future of MU golf

By Jack Reyering, For The Miami Student

Sometimes sports teams have a special athlete who makes an unexpected impact for their team. There are examples of these athletes all across the country throughout nearly every sport, and Miami University has one of them right here on campus.

His name is Patrick Flavin, a golfer for the RedHawks. While his teammates and coaches aren't surprised about the impact he has, the average person will note something different about the circumstances surrounding what he has accomplished. Flavin is just a freshmen.

It may not be as uncommon as it used to be for a freshman to have such a profound impact on a specific team. But in a sport like golf, it is especially noteworthy. While in basketball, where athleticism may be all you need to have a significant role as a freshman, an athlete's success in golf is dependent on how they handle the mental side of the game. Athletes must have a high level of maturity to compete.

Flavin has demonstrated his maturity and ability to quickly transition to a higher level of competition in such a short time. In five team competitions this spring, Flavin has been the lowest scorer for the RedHawks every time.

Flavin's golf career began as many golfers' careers do: playing around for fun.

"Me, my brother and a couple buddies used to go out and play golf with our dads and play nine holes," Flavin said. "We all loved it … I just got a lot better really quick and fell in love with the game."

Flavin attended Highland Park High School in Chicago. Although his love for golf may not have started in high school, his abilities certainly blossomed there. Flavin had a laundry list of accomplishments by the time his high school career had ended.

"I won a high school tournament my junior year and that's when I knew I could get good at the game," Flavin said. "I ended up winning 'most improved' my sophomore year and the MVP my junior and senior year."

After playing in several summer tournaments, Flavin was recruited by Big Ten schools. Miami was lucky enough to recruit Flavin, but he really didn't need much convincing.

"Miami was always my number one," Flavin said. "But my older brother is here at Miami, and that was a big pull. I always loved it here, ever since the first time I visited."

The RedHawk golf team certainly owes Flavin's older brother a favor or two.

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Flavin has been Miami's top finisher in every spring tournament this year. In MU's first tournament on March 9, the RedHawks finished at second place, a feat largely in part due to Flavin. His score of 220 after three rounds won him seventh place tie overall.

Flavin's best round came two weeks later at the Middleburg Bank Intercollegiate. The RedHawks finished seventh out of 30 teams. However, the high point of the tournament came when Flavin finished at even-par and tied for second place overall.

Flavin credits his teammates and coaches for his improvement since coming to Miami and believes that their help has allowed him to be so successful.

"Being a freshman, there's a lot to learn, especially mentally," Flavin said. "But the older guys have helped me a ton, to transition well."

The rigors of balancing athletics with personal life can be difficult for student athletes, especially freshman who may still be working on the transition into college life. While Flavin admits it can be challenging, he says he is lucky enough to be able to compete with his closest friends.

"It's tough," Flavin said. "But a really big thing is that all my best friends are here are on the golf team, which is cool. We're a really close team and we're always together. We're like a family."

Thanks to Flavin, the Miami men's golf team has seen much success. It is important for any team to have a balance of upperclassmen who have been there before and can show the younger guys what it is all about. Miami certainly has a special player in Flavin, and it is clear that they are in good hand for years to come.