Matt NeSmith (2012-2016) may be somewhat of a veteran on the PGA TOUR, but as the former South Carolina golfer wraps up his third full year on the TOUR, he is still invigorated to improve his game.
“It’s always about trying to get better,” said NeSmith, who was South Carolina’s first ever PING First Team All-American as a senior in 2016. “Everybody is getting better. You have to figure out ways to do it without messing up other parts of your game and taking things away from your game that you already do well. I’ve always hit my irons well, but I struggled with the driver the first two years, so I’m trying to figure out how to marry those together where you don’t lose one and get better in the other. Just learning the balance between getting better and keeping the mindset together is a big part of it.”
The North Augusta, S.C., native currently lives in Aiken, and was back in Columbia recently to play in South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer’s “Birdies with Beamer” golf tournament. While he enjoys being close to Augusta National, there are other places on the TOUR that excite him as well.
“I love Pebble Beach,” NeSmith said. “It’s amazing. My wife loves it. We go out there and it’s a place that we’ve enjoyed the most.”
Currently 77th in the FedEx Cup rankings, NeSmith obviously enjoys playing the game he loves for a living, but there is always pressure to be among those elite who stay on the PGA TOUR.
“It’s an extreme grind,” NeSmith said. “My first couple of years on TOUR, I looked at it more as pressure. I was a little more nervous going about it. I’ve been out there for three years now and going into my fourth. I know I’m good enough to play out there. I just have to keep doing the things that I’ve been doing. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”
NeSmith earned a pair of top five finishes this year and finished tied for twelfth at the RBC Heritage. He also finished T-37th at the U.S. Open after being in contention after 36 holes. It was his best career finish in a major.
While some PGA professionals have recently opted to look into playing for the new LIV Tour, NeSmith said he is not interested in such a change and is grateful for where he is.
“There’s no interest for me to go over there,” NeSmith said. “I’m solid with the PGA TOUR. I’ve loved the opportunity that they present to be able to play on a tour that’s established and very well connected. We have great…
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