Family, Change Help Clarke Shine in Freshman Season
December 15, 2017 | Men's Golf
By Taylor Turcotte, Mississippi State Athletic Communications
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Family is a word you hear often at Mississippi State. Aside from being a bulldog at heart, new facilities and the opportunity to be apart of a growing program, family is what brought freshman Cameron Clarke to MSU.
Clarke's father, Allan Clarke, began playing golf when his father introduced it to him while attending MSU. Clarke said as soon as he could walk and swing a club, he was playing golf.
"My family is close," Clarke said.. "I knew that coming here I had the opportunity to make a difference. "
A lot of change came quickly for Clarke when moving to Starkville.
"Bringing in the new coaching staff with Dusty Smith and Charlie Ewing, Clarke said. "They're trying to make this a championship program."
By the amount of work they're putting in, Clarke said that it will happen over time.
With a change in coaching staff came a change in practice and preparation for the program.
"Coach Smith knows our strengths and weaknesses," Clarke said. "Smith has focused a lot of attention on our short game work, which will be crucial in big tournaments to come. He's giving us a lot of drills I've never even heard of."
Because of those drills, Clarke said he can see much improvement in his game as well as his teammates. Change can be a bad thing, but for Clarke, change is playing in his favor.
One of the biggest changes that Clarke had to make was transitioning from junior golf, to playing at the college level, and in the SEC, no less.            Â
Clarke made his debut at the Bearcat Invitational this fall where he said 2-under and finished 19th.
"Opening morning was hectic," Clarke said. "Being a freshman, in my first tournament, I was shaking and had the jitters."
On the trip, Clarke was one of two freshmen out of six players who traveled. Austin Rose and Garrett Johnson we're helpful in calming Clarke's nerves.
"They told me to take it swing by swing and that helped a lot," said Clarke. "Once I hit the first tee shot and it went down the middle, I was able to settle in and play smart. I had to make the right decisions for the team instead of being selfish.
Having those older teammates to learn form has been beneficial for Clarke in this new setting.
"They're helping me adjust to being away from home," Clarke said. "They make it feel like we're a family."
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Family is a word you hear often at Mississippi State. Aside from being a bulldog at heart, new facilities and the opportunity to be apart of a growing program, family is what brought freshman Cameron Clarke to MSU.
Clarke's father, Allan Clarke, began playing golf when his father introduced it to him while attending MSU. Clarke said as soon as he could walk and swing a club, he was playing golf.
"My family is close," Clarke said.. "I knew that coming here I had the opportunity to make a difference. "
A lot of change came quickly for Clarke when moving to Starkville.
"Bringing in the new coaching staff with Dusty Smith and Charlie Ewing, Clarke said. "They're trying to make this a championship program."
By the amount of work they're putting in, Clarke said that it will happen over time.
With a change in coaching staff came a change in practice and preparation for the program.
"Coach Smith knows our strengths and weaknesses," Clarke said. "Smith has focused a lot of attention on our short game work, which will be crucial in big tournaments to come. He's giving us a lot of drills I've never even heard of."
Because of those drills, Clarke said he can see much improvement in his game as well as his teammates. Change can be a bad thing, but for Clarke, change is playing in his favor.
One of the biggest changes that Clarke had to make was transitioning from junior golf, to playing at the college level, and in the SEC, no less.            Â
Clarke made his debut at the Bearcat Invitational this fall where he said 2-under and finished 19th.
"Opening morning was hectic," Clarke said. "Being a freshman, in my first tournament, I was shaking and had the jitters."
On the trip, Clarke was one of two freshmen out of six players who traveled. Austin Rose and Garrett Johnson we're helpful in calming Clarke's nerves.
"They told me to take it swing by swing and that helped a lot," said Clarke. "Once I hit the first tee shot and it went down the middle, I was able to settle in and play smart. I had to make the right decisions for the team instead of being selfish.
Having those older teammates to learn form has been beneficial for Clarke in this new setting.
"They're helping me adjust to being away from home," Clarke said. "They make it feel like we're a family."
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Players Mentioned
MEN'S GOLF | NCAA Post-Round 1 - 5/16/23
Tuesday, May 16
Dusty Smith Press Conference - 5/7/21
Friday, May 07
Ford Clegg OWCC
Friday, March 26
Garrett Johnson's OWCC Interview
Thursday, March 25