Athlete of the Week: Schulze having historic year for Titans
This time last year Mason Schulze could only wonder what he would have done had he gotten the chance to play in the San Diego Section Boys Golf Championships.
The long wait to find out the answer was well worth it.
The Poway High junior has made the most of his postseason chance this year, becoming the first golfer from the school to qualify for the state tournament since Charley Hoffman won back-to-back California championships in 1994 and 1995.
“It feels really good,” said Schulze, who will play in the state event at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach on Wednesday. “A lot of my hard work has really paid off and it gives me a lot of confidence to know that a professional golfer made it to state.”
Yes, Hoffman is now a huge success on the PGA Tour and Schulze hopes to be there one day, too. But right now he is just thrilled with the way his postseason has gone, especially after having to miss it because of a torn meniscus last year.
“I had to wait an entire year to prove that I can make it through to state,” said Schulze, who shot 3-over-par to advance out the section tournament and then fired an even-par 72 at Brookside Country Club in the SoCal Regional last week to qualify for state. “I knew I had the game for it, I just had to use my head and be smart.
“I didn’t know I can make it all the way to state,” he added. “My main goal was to make it to the regional. But making it to state is really cool and knowing that nobody has done it at Poway since Charley Hoffman is amazing.”
Schulze, who works tirelessly with swing coach Chris Mayson at Maderas Golf Course, came through in the most pressure-packed situation he has faced all season to make it to the state tournament. On the final hole at the SoCal Regional, the 421-yard, par-4 16th, Schulze pulled his tee shot. He left himself with a tough 150-yard shot to the green.
“I was in bad position,” he said. “I had to hook it about 20 yards and I ended up coming up about 20-yards short of the green. I was in the rough, but I was able to get up and down to make par.”
What made it even tougher was Schulze had a gut feeling that he couldn’t afford to bogey the hole.
“When I was standing over the ball on that final putt I had butterflies in my stomach, because I just knew that was for state. I just had a feeling that I needed to make that putt to get to state. It was weird.”
Turns out he did need to make. He finished one stroke ahead of eight golfers who had to play a playoff for the final spot. Schulze definitely did not want his shot at state to come down to that.
“I was just sitting in the lunch area when I found out I made it to state,” he said. “My coach (Dave Thompson) gave me a big hug and told me I made it. That just took all the pressure off.”
Schulze had three birdies and three bogeys in his round at the SoCal Regional.
“He played very consistently,” Thompson said. “He drove the ball well and putted really well. He didn’t make any really long putts, but he made some key putts in some critical moments.”