The rise of Aaron Wise

FORT WORTH, Texas – It’s a good thing Aaron Wise is accustomed to filling oversized footwear, because big expectations quickly follow when you win your first PGA TOUR event at just 21 years old. Wise grew up in a family of modest means, so his mother, Karla, used to buy shoes so big that her son could never outgrow them. It was a strategy devised to extend the time between purchases. Aaron hit the jackpot during his freshman year of high school when one of his teammates was about to get rid of 10 pairs of old golf shoes. Aaron asked if he could take them home instead. “I’m pretty sure my mom cried because she knew she didn’t have to buy shoes. I was set,� Aaron said. He still wears a size 10.5 today even though his feet are a 9.5. The proper size felt too constricting to feet accustomed to more space. Last week’s win at the AT&T Byron Nelson put Aaron among some select company. Since 1991, only seven players have won at an earlier age: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Si Woo Kim and John Huh. Big shoes to fill, indeed. “I didn’t come from a lot,� Aaron said in Sunday’s post-victory press conference. “All along, (I’ve had) very, very few moments to shine. I had to take advantage of them.� Aaron was 3 years old when his family moved from South Africa to Southern California. The exchange rate decimated the family’s savings. They moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles. “My parents did well to keep food on the table,� Aaron said. “We didn’t have much.� Aaron has been holding a golf club since he started walking, though. He gave himself welts on his neck from swinging his father’s full-length wedge. The club was so big that he rested the grip against his shoulder as he held the shaft and swung. He is the rare player from his generation who’s played with a persimmon driver. He grew up in the age of titanium, but his first clubs were hand-me-downs. He’s been playing golf since he could walk, but he didn’t receive his first new set of junior clubs until he was 12. His father, Marc, was his only instructor until Aaron’s senior year of high school. Marc tried to model his son’s swing after Ernie Els and taught putting drills that Aaron still uses today. Aaron was a public-course kid who made a name for himself in local tournaments, not the national events that so many elite juniors play. A 13-shot victory in a 36-hole qualifier for the U.S. Junior Amateur is part of his legend. Aaron caught college coaches’ eyes with two strong performances at the Junior World tournament just down the road at Torrey Pines. He needed just two years at the University of Oregon to prove to himself that he could compete at the highest level. He benefitted from the three-hour practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays that focused solely on players’ short games. “One reason he chose Oregon was that the putting greens looked really nice and fast. He was used to playing on greens that were 8s (on the Stimpmeter) and bumpy,� said Oregon coach Casey Martin. Aaron won the 2016 NCAA individual title and led the Ducks to the team title in front of thousands of fans at Oregon’s home course, Eugene Country Club. It was his last act as an amateur. He turned pro at 19 and has won at every stop since. After making his pro debut at the 2016 U.S. Open, he won in his second start on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada. He won on the Web.com Tour last year. The AT&T Byron Nelson was just his 26th PGA TOUR start and came two weeks after he challenged Jason Day down the stretch at the Wells Fargo Championship. “Being put in tough situations where I knew other people were getting better opportunities to succeed, it made me have to believe in myself� Aaron said. “I think it’s why I play so well under pressure. I believe in myself.� Aaron shot a final-round 68 at Quail Hollow, forcing Jason Day to birdie Nos. 16 and 17 for a two-shot victory. Aaron started the Nelson’s final round tied with veteran Marc Leishman, a two-time winner last season. Aaron pulled away with six birdies in the first 10 holes, then cruised home to a three-shot victory. He hit all 14 fairways in the final round and missed just one green. “He played probably the most composed final round I’ve ever seen. I wish I could do that. I really can’t,� said Jon Rahm, a famously emotional player. Rahm competed against Aaron in college. “I texted him that night and said, ‘That was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen from a rookie.’ Usually, you can see some nerves. I was definitely up and down when I won at Torrey Pines.� Martin, a former PGA TOUR player, said that Aaron’s composure is what makes him special. “He is so calm and collected. That’s what separates him,� he said. “A lot of guys hit it well and putt it well.� Aaron is the fifth player this season to have a win and runner-up in consecutive starts. The other four – Rahm, Day, Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas – are in the top 10 of both the FedExCup and Official World Golf Ranking. Aaron has achieved so much at a young age despite hardly playing a tournament for three years. He was sidelined for 10 months after breaking his arm in a dirt-bike accident at around 11 years old. Then his parents barred him from playing in tournaments when he was 13 and 14 because he was showing signs of burnout. He started playing competitive tennis during that time and quickly became one of the top-ranked players in California. He returned to competitive golf as soon as he could, though. That hand-eye coordination that helped him quickly succeed at a new sport is one of the reasons the 6-foot-1, 175-pound player is one of the longest on TOUR. He hit the longest drives of the week at both the Wells Fargo (383 yards) and AT&T Byron Nelson (402). He is 32nd on TOUR in driving distance, averaging 303.3 yards. “The quality of his strike is really good. He hits the center of the face a lot and he’s learned to use the ground,� said his swing coach, Jeff Smith. “At the end of the day, he’s driving the ball at a world-class level. He’s one of the top 10 drivers of a golf ball in the world. He has an advantage as soon as he steps on the first tee.� His length helps, but so does an upbringing that forced him to earn everything he got.

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