Player of the Week: Penn State Golfer T.J. Howe

T.J. and his family called it the ‘Farm.’

    A three-hole golf course built into his grandparents’ backyard, the ‘farm’ is where future Penn State golfer T.J. Howe would learn his game.

    “My grandfather had some time on his hands, so he built three greens and put tee boxes spread out around the corners of his property,” said Howe. “Maybe the longest hole was about 200 to 300 yard that is about it.”

    “The greens were basically just regular grass.”

    Using shortened adult clubs and a real golf cart Howe would begin golfing at three-years-old.

“Anytime I was there, I was golfing,” said Howe. “I was pretty fortune to have a place to golf at when I was young.”

    A U.S. Amateur golfer and two time Academic All Big Ten athlete Howe now golfs on a larger scale.

    His path to become a division I golfer would begin with his first competitive golf round in seventh grade and continue into a  PIAA State Championship his senior year at  Elkland Area High School, PA. A plus 1,000 scorer in high school basketball, Howe has consistently been an all around athlete and competitor.

    “When he is at his best, has practiced well and is ready, T.J. is pretty fierce,” said Penn State golf head coach Greg Nye. “He is not afraid of anything thing”

    Sophomore year of high school Howe began to realize he could play for a Division I program. Though he was originally considering the University of Maryland, Howe eventually committed to his father’s alma mater.

    Unable to grab a starting spot, his freshman year would prove a challenge.

    “High school is a lot more drivers and wedges and not a lot of course management,” said Howe. “In college it is the exact opposite and you really have to place the ball off the tees.”

    “I was more aggressive when I came here and I really had to teach myself discipline on the golf course.”

    He would start the next season, but would continue to adjust his game.

 “T.J. had been  kind of up and down,” said Nye. “One thing he worked on was adding a lot of consistency to his game and improving his putting.”

    “He has learned to control his emotions on the golf course.”

    Late in his sophomore season, Howe would shoot a 74 at the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate in Columbus Ohio. This performance would be an early sign of his potential.

    “We have probably had one other person finish second in our history and this event is annual,” said Nye. “That was one of the times I felt we had a pretty good player.”

    The senior golfer finished off this fall with a 73.78 average score. Despite success, Howe continues adjust his swing and is looking forward to improving as he goes into the Rutherford Intercollegiate at State College next weekend.

    “I feel really good about my game,” said Howe. “I feel like I am really close to clicking on all cylinders.”

     Junior teammate Jason Cohan sees Howe’s performance to this point as a blueprint for younger players. He believes Howe, along fellow seniors Kevin Foley and Jim Markovitz, is a leader on the team.

    “He shows how a strong effort can help you really play well,” said Cohan. “He is great player with a great golf swing and a really great mentality out there.”

    “When Kevin is struggling he is not afraid to jump up there and be the lead sled dog,” added Nye.

    It is these intangibles that Nye looks for in a golfer. Something Nye believes is uncoachable.
  
    “When we are recruiting a golfer we look more then just into his golf game,” said Nye. “When you get into their background sometime its growing up playing on a 3-hole course or getting to know their family.”

    “You start peeling back the onion and you find these things out.”