Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
McKay putting it all together for MT golf team
2/26/2021 3:00:00 PM | Men's Golf, BRAA
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — After closing out the fall season with a win at the Intercollegiate at The Grove, Middle Tennessee's men's golfers made it two in a row when they opened the spring with a victory at the Raines Company Intercollegiate in South Carolina.
The Blue Raiders had at least a share of the lead after every round, finishing off the wire-to-wire win with a 30-under-par 834, the third-best three-round team score in program history.
Leading the charge for MT against a talented field of 10 teams and 64 golfers on Feb. 6 and 7 was graduate student Connor McKay.
The Knoxville native showed hardly any jitters playing in his first spring tournament with the Blue Raiders since transferring in the fall from Lipscomb. He carved up the Country Club of South Carolina, firing rounds of 69, 68 and 66 to finish with a 13-under-par 203, good for second place overall. He was the only player in the field to be in the 60s all three rounds.
The 203 tied the Blue Raider record for low three-round score in a tournament, putting McKay in a group with some of the program's all-time best players, including Marcus Byrd (twice), Kent Bulle, Brett Patterson and Ilari Saulo.
"That was really cool, because there have been some really good players here at MTSU," McKay said. "If I did it and we didn't get a team win, it wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable, but it was really cool to get the win too. … We're starting to play really well as a team, and I'm excited for what we can do."
Putting the excellent three rounds together and leading the team to a win were the culmination of a lot of hard work McKay has put in.
His best finish in the team's three fall tournaments was tied for 15th at the Graeme McDowell Invitational Sept. 29 and 30. He didn't have a round in the 60s, but he felt like he was getting close to breaking out as the fall season ended and flipped to the spring.
"I knew that's what I was capable of doing, but it was one of those things where you actually have to do it," McKay said. "To see the work pay off, that's really positive. When you're working on something, you can do it when you're playing for fun or practicing, but doing it in a tournament is totally different."
Having McKay pace the team on the scorecard could prove to be an important moment this season for the psyche of the group.
Since he transferred from Lipscomb, McKay has quickly turned into a leader of the team. He's been around the block in college golf, spending five years at Lipscomb — he took a redshirt season in 2019 — before deciding to spend his final year of eligibility at MT.
"The thing Connor has done for us is he's provided some great leadership," head coach Mark McEntire said. "He's been a really, really good chemistry guy for us. He really did a nice job in the offseason working through some things with his game, and it really came together with his last performance."
Winning tournaments is obviously the goal for the team, but McKay has found a lot of enjoyment out of being the elder statesman, so to speak.
"It's really cool to be able to do some things that I saw the older players do when I was at Lipscomb, like Dawson Armstrong, who's doing this for a living playing on the Tour," he said. "It's nice to give back to some of the younger guys and try to do for them what he did for me."
Like Armstrong, who won the NCAA Regional individual title when Middle Tennessee hosted the event at The Grove in 2017, McKay aspires to turn golf into a career when this season is over.
He's planning to start on the Mackenzie Tour, the Canadian PGA Tour affiliate, before trying to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Q-School.
McKay is already proving he has the work ethic to make it as high in the game as he wants to go, and Middle Tennessee is another stepping stone to help him reach his goals.
"The program is kind of designed so if you want to get to professional golf, you have to work for it, but they'll help you get there," he said. "No one is going to hold your hand, you have to work for what you want, and that's really cool. As a sixth-year grad student, you appreciate that a lot more as you get older."
Before trying his luck as a professional, McKay and the Blue Raiders have some unfinished business to tend to this season. They're definitely off on the right foot.
The Blue Raiders had at least a share of the lead after every round, finishing off the wire-to-wire win with a 30-under-par 834, the third-best three-round team score in program history.
Leading the charge for MT against a talented field of 10 teams and 64 golfers on Feb. 6 and 7 was graduate student Connor McKay.
The Knoxville native showed hardly any jitters playing in his first spring tournament with the Blue Raiders since transferring in the fall from Lipscomb. He carved up the Country Club of South Carolina, firing rounds of 69, 68 and 66 to finish with a 13-under-par 203, good for second place overall. He was the only player in the field to be in the 60s all three rounds.
The 203 tied the Blue Raider record for low three-round score in a tournament, putting McKay in a group with some of the program's all-time best players, including Marcus Byrd (twice), Kent Bulle, Brett Patterson and Ilari Saulo.
"That was really cool, because there have been some really good players here at MTSU," McKay said. "If I did it and we didn't get a team win, it wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable, but it was really cool to get the win too. … We're starting to play really well as a team, and I'm excited for what we can do."
Putting the excellent three rounds together and leading the team to a win were the culmination of a lot of hard work McKay has put in.
His best finish in the team's three fall tournaments was tied for 15th at the Graeme McDowell Invitational Sept. 29 and 30. He didn't have a round in the 60s, but he felt like he was getting close to breaking out as the fall season ended and flipped to the spring.
"I knew that's what I was capable of doing, but it was one of those things where you actually have to do it," McKay said. "To see the work pay off, that's really positive. When you're working on something, you can do it when you're playing for fun or practicing, but doing it in a tournament is totally different."
Having McKay pace the team on the scorecard could prove to be an important moment this season for the psyche of the group.
Since he transferred from Lipscomb, McKay has quickly turned into a leader of the team. He's been around the block in college golf, spending five years at Lipscomb — he took a redshirt season in 2019 — before deciding to spend his final year of eligibility at MT.
"The thing Connor has done for us is he's provided some great leadership," head coach Mark McEntire said. "He's been a really, really good chemistry guy for us. He really did a nice job in the offseason working through some things with his game, and it really came together with his last performance."
Winning tournaments is obviously the goal for the team, but McKay has found a lot of enjoyment out of being the elder statesman, so to speak.
"It's really cool to be able to do some things that I saw the older players do when I was at Lipscomb, like Dawson Armstrong, who's doing this for a living playing on the Tour," he said. "It's nice to give back to some of the younger guys and try to do for them what he did for me."
Like Armstrong, who won the NCAA Regional individual title when Middle Tennessee hosted the event at The Grove in 2017, McKay aspires to turn golf into a career when this season is over.
He's planning to start on the Mackenzie Tour, the Canadian PGA Tour affiliate, before trying to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Q-School.
McKay is already proving he has the work ethic to make it as high in the game as he wants to go, and Middle Tennessee is another stepping stone to help him reach his goals.
"The program is kind of designed so if you want to get to professional golf, you have to work for it, but they'll help you get there," he said. "No one is going to hold your hand, you have to work for what you want, and that's really cool. As a sixth-year grad student, you appreciate that a lot more as you get older."
Before trying his luck as a professional, McKay and the Blue Raiders have some unfinished business to tend to this season. They're definitely off on the right foot.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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