Chipping and Putting with Christian Vozza
6/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
After leading the Wolverines in seven of 11 events in 2004-05 and finishing with the top scoring average for the second straight season, Christian Vozza still had some shaken confidence after it was all said and done. For anyone who knows Vozza, he is a leader on and off the golf course. He is the consistent one.
But Vozza knew that he didn't have the season that he had hoped for in 2004-05. He had played so well early, but lost a little bit of his swagger towards the end. He knew he needed to come back next season, his final season, and really lead the Wolverines.
Like any good golfer, he knew he had to use this summer to really get his game back into shape. He was going to find what he had lost. He was going to regain his confidence. So, he headed back to Traverse City to work on his game. Things started to come together for him and he knew he wanted to get back into a tournament setting. He qualified for the Michigan Amateur Championship and knew that it was set up perfect for his game. He was perfect for the match play format.
As the tournament started he had eight birdies in his first round of stroke play and shot a five-under 67. From there he just got rolling with birdie after birdie and match play win after match play win. In the end, when he finally looked at the leaderboard, he had won the 94th Michigan Am title.
He got his confidence back. He had really found out that he can compete with the best and really sustain his game. Now, he will be looking to make sure he keeps this momentum going throughout the rest of the summer into his final season in Ann Arbor.
But for anyone who knows Vozza, this could only be the beginning.
On summarizing the Michigan Amateur title
"Being on a roll has given me a lot of confidence. Early on this spring when I was practicing and after the season got done, I didn't have as much confidence as I wanted coming into the summer. Then I started playing really well and had quite a few really good rounds around Traverse City. I had been making a lot of birdies before the tournament started. I played a practice round up there and felt really comfortable. I played the front nine quite a few times before high school, so I had some familiarity with the course. Then I went to the back nine, and there were some par-5's that I could take advantage of. I just felt really confident. I played a practice round with my coach the next day and I was hitting the ball really well again and he shared with me that I could win it. That really boosted me up. Playing well that first round, really gave me the confidence to go out and really win it. It was really exciting."
On the final match and when he knew he had won
"The final match was kind of interesting, because I was nervous to start off with, and I bogeyed my first two holes. I put myself in bad positions and I couldn't get up and down because I had really horrible lies. The next hole he (Patrick Wilkes-Krier) missed the putt and I birdied it, and I kind of felt some changing of momentum. Then I drained one on him, a 25-footer downhill, and I gave the old Tiger fist pump. I could really feel everything turn around. After that I had two more birdies after stuffing it on the par 3, he gave it to me with his putt. I kind of felt things turning around, but he never gave up. He had some birdies, he birdied No. 7, a par three, and got another later. He three-putted the eighth, which helped me a little. But I think at No. 10 I knew for sure it was mine, because I was up quite a bit and he hit it over the green and had a tough up and down, then didn't make it. I knew I had a couple of par fives coming up, and I told my dad I just got to make two birdies on those and if makes birdies on those so be it, but if I keep this up I won't be beat. I did birdie those two holes, and that is what I did to close him out."
On his game being suited for match play
"I am the player that never gives up. Even if I hit the ball in the water or something, I've been known to still make par. If you're playing against me in match play, I just make a lot of birdies, which for a few of the guys I was playing against must have been tough. I'm kind of unlimited when it comes to birdies, I don't really get nervous if I've had five or six birdies in a round, I still feel like I can birdie every hole coming in."
On having father carry his bag the last two days
"It was awesome. We play so much golf together. We play in scrambles. He is the one who taught me the game. A lot of guys would say they wouldn't want their dad on their bag but I loved having him on the bag. He keeps me loose, and he read a few key putts for me. It's nice having those second pair of eyes there to read the putts and give me the confidence I need to stroke it well."
On how winning Michigan Am will help him
"I think the rest of the summer, every tournament I play in I'm going to honestly feel like I have a chance of winning it. In the past I have never won a big tournament like this. I feel that feeling will also go over to college as well. I'll go into tournaments with more of a winning mentality, when before I thought maybe I could win but it was more of an outside chance. Now, I know I have the talent to do it."
On if he is taking his play to a "next level"
"I think so to a degree. I thought I had the skills before, but now I know I do. I guess I am taking it to the next level, the next level confidence wise because now I know I can compete in any tournament to win."
On playing so well again other collegiate golfers at Michigan Am
"I think it gives me the confidence that I can play with anyone. A few of those guys have won this tournament before. I'm kind of up there in the club now, you know Even some of the older guys came up to me and congratulated me. Colby Beckstrom came in and was so excited, and Lynn Janson, he's the pro at Egypt Valley, he won it in '63, he came in and said 'welcome to the club.' Steve Brady from Oakland Hills too. It has really put me at a new level. Playing with all those college players in the tournament really was a plus. Now I know I can compete with them and I have a lot more respect from them as well. It's going to help this senior year coming in for sure."
On almost playing Coach Sapp in second round
"Jokingly, if I would have played him and I would have beaten him, then he could have never told me what to do again (laughing). Actually, I looked at the bracket before the first round started, and I thought if I win my first match I am probably going to play coach if he wins. I gave him a call and we started heckling each other a little bit. He was one up through 14, so he was probably was thinking 'Oh cool I get to play Christian' but then lost it unfortunately. I would have loved to play. It would have been a fun match, because he is a great player and he can make a lot of birdies as well. It would have been fun going back and forth."
On if people look at him differently on golf course now that he won
"Yeah I hope so, I hope I can be intimidating to some degree, especially in tournaments here in Michigan, like at Michigan State or even our tournament. I hope people will think that I can win each tournament, and I hope my teammates as well will look up to me that way. I just want to be able to help them out any way I can. I hope they'll listen to me and our team will grow and become better because of this. I think and I know we can play really well this upcoming year, and hopefully my win will give the whole team confidence."
On how many requests he has had for lessons now
"All my relatives! (laughing) There have even been a few people that I work with too. It has been so nice to see all this support from so many people."
Previous Features
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
