Canadian Collegiate Golfer Turning Pro

Courtesy of NC State University

Hill Prepares For First Event as Professional

May 31st/2010
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Reigning national champion Matt Hill isn't at the NCAA Golf Championship this week, preparing to defend his title as the nation's best college golfer. He's in Dublin, Ohio, preparing to make his professional debut.

Hill, a junior, finished his Wolfpack career at the NCAA East Regional, where he missed by one shot the opportunity to vie for the final spot to advance to the championship event.

So, as he had long planned, Hill is now ready to embark on his professional career, beginning this week at The Memorial, the prestigious PGA Tour event hosted by legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus at Muirfield Village Golf Club. He earned the invitation by winning the 2009 Jack Nicklaus Award, as the Golf Coaches Association of America's player of the year.

"I know I am ready," Hill said before he left Raleigh last week to return to his hometown of Bright's Cove, Ontario. "I have been looking forward to it for a while. I am pretty pumped about getting out there and getting started."

Hill, who has signed with IMG and will endorse Nike golf equipment and apparel, had unequaled success during his sophomore campaign, in 2008-09, tying Tiger Woods' NCAA record with eight victories during the season. That total included wins in the ACC Championship, the NCAA East Regional and the NCAA Championship.

He played in several professional events last year as an amateur, including the AT&T Classic at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., where he made the cut and finished in a tie for 70th. He also played in the Buick Open and the RBC Canadian Open, missing the cut in both events.

He made the decision to return to NC State for his junior year, but was unable to duplicate the success of his magical sophomore season. Still, he won Hootie at Bulls Bay Championship in Awendaw, S.C., extending his school record to 10 career wins. He also had three other Top 10 finishes, including second place at the Bank of Tennessee Classic and third place at the ACC Championship.

Hill will play in The Memorial and return to both the AT&T Classic and the Canadian Open. Under PGA Tour rules, he can receive up to seven sponsor exemptions this summer to play in events on Tour. After that, he will have to go through the qualifying process, either at PGA Tour School or playing his way into the Nationwide Tour, where he can also earn a PGA Tour card by finishing in the top 10 on the tour's money list.

"It's definitely going to be a grind, starting out," Hill said. "I have to go out there with the right attitude and not put too much pressure on myself. I just have to keep working on my game and keep getting better.

"You have to stay pretty even-keeled out there. You can't have too many ups or down. It's different for everybody."

The 20-year-old Hill said he believed his game was ready for the PGA Tour after last season, but wanted to return to NC State for his junior season to improve his game and to mature a little more.

"I just kind of wanted to go back to school for another year," Hill said. "I think 20 years old is pretty young to go out on your own. I felt like I needed to come back and get a little more mature and make sure I was totally ready for that lifestyle.

"That was the biggest thing, more than just the golf."

Still, he worked on certain aspects of his game that he thought needed some tweaking. Though he didn't match the tournament success of his sophomore season, Hill said his junior season was valuable to his professional aspirations.

"I really do feel like I have improved my game over the last year," Hill said.

And now he's ready to move on.

You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.