Hill finds pro golf is no gimme

GREENSBORO -- Matt Hill looks the part of a professional golfer and appears to have everything he needs to be successful.

He has a deal with Nike and has all the requisite swooshes on his spiffy golf clothes, shoes and equipment. He's represented by International Management Group, which can open a lot of doors.

But what Hill still needs is places to play. And paychecks.

Since beginning his pro career in June, the former N.C. State All-American has found it to be a slow go, making the cut in just one of five PGA Tour events while sprinkling in a few tournaments on the Nationwide, Canadian and eGolf tours.

"I know it's a long road to get out here sometimes," Hill said last week at the Wyndham Championship. "I've tried to take all the positives out of it.

"I may not have finished as well as I liked to, but I've gotten a lot of good things out of it that I feel I can use. I feel like I've given myself a chance to play on the weekend a few times, and I've just got to put it together and make a few more putts."

Scant winnings

Playing on sponsor's exemptions, Hill was able to get into the Memorial Tournament, AT&T National, Reno-Tahoe Open and RBC Canadian Open before the Wyndham. He has made the weekend only in the Reno-Tahoe Open - despite a second-round 75 - and finished tied for 50th.

Total PGA Tour winnings: $7,305. He also earned $4,000 and change in the Nationwide's Wayne Gretzky Classic last month and $2,100 in his only eGolf appearance.

Hill, 21, said IMG helped him secure his sponsor's exemption into the Wyndham at Sedgefield Country Club, saying his N.C. State ties made for "a good connection." But not a good week. He opened with a 1-under-69, but a second-round 71 left him three strokes below the 36-hole cutline.

Hill conceded he probably has put too much pressure on himself his first few events. After all, he was everybody's All-America in 2009, when he won eight tournaments as a sophomore including ACC and NCAA medalist honors.

Hill was given the Jack Nicklaus Award as the nation's best college golfer. Everyone seemed to agree that the slender Canadian had the solid, overall game and a good, even temperament necessary for the relentless grind of pro golf.

Hill's junior season with the Wolfpack wasn't as sparkling, with just one victory. He contended but fell short in the ACC Championship in April and did not qualify for the NCAA Championship.

But Hill decided to forgo his senior year at NCSU. It was time, he said, to tee it up with the best and see where he stood.

Hill traveled to Nike's golf research and development center in Fort Worth, Texas - called "The Oven" - and soon was added to the Nike collection of golfers that includes Tiger Woods, Lucas Glover, Stewart Cink and Anthony Kim, to name a few.

Kel Devlin, Nike's director of Global Athlete Development, said Hill was "blown away" on the Texas visit. In Nike's announcement on the signing, Devlin praised Hill's "caliber and impeccable college record."

But such are the expectations.

"I try not to think too much about that," Hill said. "That's only going to put more pressure on me, if I put more expectations on myself.

"I'm just trying to play my game, give it a good chance every time I'm out here and just be patient. That's one of the biggest things."

Learning patience

Patience, that is. For many of the twentysomethings playing pro golf, that's in short supply.

There's also the matter of controlling your emotions on the golf course, on being able to pull off the right shot at the right time. And, of course, make a few putts.

"From what I've seen and experienced, there are always some nerves and pressure that you have to battle out here at some point in the tournament," Hill said. "So you have to know your game and what kind of shots you hit the best."

The travel and lifestyle of pro golf takes some adjustment. There's the matter of playing new courses. In the Reno-Tahoe Open, that meant playing a course at altitude, at 6,000 feet.

Hill, who plans to live in Jupiter, Fla., said he is allowed a total of seven PGA Tour sponsor's exemptions this year. It's also possible, he said, he will try to get into more Nationwide Tour events by going through Monday qualifying.

Finally, there's the PGA Tour's Qualifying Tournament - the dreaded Q School. Odds are, he'll have to go that route to try and secure his playing card for next year.

"This year my biggest goal is to get some kind of [playing] status so I can at least play a nice schedule next year," he said. "If everything goes well, hopefully I'll be back [in Greensboro] next year.

"I'll play every chance I get and try to get some good finishes. You just do what you can do and play hard."