DALLAS – The graduation ceremony for the Class of 2014 at Santiago High School was held four years ago at the school stadium in Corona, California. Specifically on May 28. Aaron Wise was part of that class, having successfully completed his final exams days earlier. Now he’s on the verge of another life-changing moment, this one with more significance — at least for his chosen profession. He’s just 21 years old. By Sunday night, he could be a PGA TOUR winner. “That’s the one thing that people can say that still blows my mind,â€� Wise said. “It’s pretty unreal to think where I was at in high school, way back – and to even say way back, it’s only four years ago. “I feel like it’s such a different part of my life, and to think it’s only four years ago is pretty crazy.â€� Maybe it’s not all that crazy to think that Wise could be the latest TOUR winner. Of course, he’ll have to get past Marc Leishman, his 54-hole co-leader at the AT&T Byron Nelson. They’re each at 17 under and share a four-stroke advantage over the rest of the field. In the tournament’s rich history, just four players have rallied to win by four strokes in the final round. Neither player, of course, is suggesting it’s a two-man race at Trinity Forest. With winds expected to die down for the final round, someone in the chase group could make a big move. “I showed Thursday you can shoot a low one,â€� Leishman said, referencing his 10-under 61. But the strapping Australian and the lithe American clearly have one hand each on the new 50th anniversary trophy. The 34-year-old Leishman, seeking his fourth TOUR win, is building an impressive resume. Wise, meanwhile, is just ready to build on his T2 finish two weeks ago at the Wells Fargo Championship. “I heard this morning he’s only 21,â€� Leishman said. “I didn’t realize that. I guess I was in high school before he was born, so that’s – I don’t know. You hear guys talk about that all the time, but I’ve never said that, I think.â€� With two consecutive starts in which he’s contended, Wise figures he’s ahead of the career curve. “Absolutely,â€� he said. “I’m way ahead of the curve. It’s pretty hard to do what I’ve done at such a young age. Only a few have done it … I feel like I’m in a great spot for tomorrow, and yeah, I feel like I’m getting some great experience for a kid this young. It’s only going to serve me well down the road.â€� What might serve him well on Sunday is the success he’s already achieved at previous levels. He’s pretty much won at each of them. In January of 2016, he played the Australian Master of the Amateurs; it was the first time he felt like the favorite entering a tournament, and he ended up winning. The victory would eventually spark his decision to turn pro. “I just played incredible in college kind of starting my sophomore year,â€� Wise said. “Everyone was kind of looking at me to win this big event and I went out there with all that pressure and I won … “I went back to college … and kind of told Casey [Martin, the Oregon golf coach] I was probably going to leave after that year before I felt like I was playing great. That tournament alone gave me so much confidence, knowing that I could win even though everyone’s expectations were that highly of me. But before doing so, he completed his final semester at Oregon – and that May, won the individual and team portions with the Ducks. He became the first player since UCLA’s Kevin Chappell in 2008 to win both titles in the same year. After turning pro, he played on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and posted his first professional win among his seven starts. That got him to the Web.com Tour in 2017 – and he posted another win there among his 16 starts, gaining status on the PGA TOUR for this season. It seems inevitable that he’ll soon win at this level. He almost did it at Wells Fargo – he entered the final round three-shots behind leader Jason Day and shot a final-round 68 to share second with Nick Watney, as Day won by two strokes. Making his 18th start of the season this week, maybe now is the time for Wise. “Winning is winning at any level,â€� Wise said. “… It’s golf, at the end of the day. If you play better than everyone else, you’re going to win. That’s why I play it. That’s why I love this sport, and tomorrow is nothing different. “There’s a little more pressure on it because there’s more people and it’s a bigger scene, but I felt like I did a great job of handling all that at Quail Hollow. Being my second chance at it, I feel like it’s only going to be better than that. I feel like it’s a great opportunity. It will obviously be a huge day for me.â€� When Wise entered college, he thought about a backup plan in case the golf thing didn’t work out, eventually focusing on law. Maybe he could become a defense attorney. After all, his favorite TV show was a legal drama called “Suits.â€� But he was having too much fun playing golf. Plus, he was winning. “I’m living my dream right now,â€� Wise said. “I don’t really think about what it could have been because that was kind a Plan B. This is definitely Plan A for me.â€� Four years removed from high school, the plan seems to be working just fine.
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