On PACE: Mueller Carries Mom's Lasting Lesson to Final NCAA Event
5/24/2018 12:48:00 PM | Men's Golf, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- It has been 71 years since a University of Michigan golfer did what record-setting senior Kyle Mueller has a chance to accomplish this weekend at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Mueller, by virtue of winning the NCAA Regional in Columbus, Ohio, qualified to play for the NCAA individual championship last won by a Wolverine when Dave Barclay triumphed in 1947.
It's been both a magic and tragic four years for Mueller, whose mother was killed in an automobile crash after his sophomore season. Kyle said he can feel her "watching from above" while on the course, and Michigan coach Chris Whitten said Kyle's now playing for his mother, who also was inspirational in life.
We spoke earlier this week at Michigan's Weisfeld Family Golf Center about both her memory and his golf quest that begins Friday (May 25) on the legendary links in Stillwater.
Mueller said, "I can't wait to get down there and see the course. I've heard a lot about it."
Whitten said it's basically a private course for the Oklahoma State team, and it is of such high quality that it could easily host the U.S. Open. He recalled Michigan playing Karsten Creek at the 2011 NCAA Championships, when it finished 10th as a team and Lion Kim placed third individually.
"I got to see it that whole week and kind of have an idea of what we're going for," said Whitten. "It sets up for Kyle perfectly. It couldn't be a better golf course to go play, and so I'm pretty excited for him."
Mueller won in Columbus with a five-under-par score of 208, shooting rounds of 73, 69 and the amazing 66 that afforded him a two-stroke win over Oklahoma State's Zach Bauchou and Matthew Wolff.
He felt a calmness after rain delayed play. That might have caused anxiety for some, but Mueller instead found an even deeper focus.
"It's definitely a (new) mindset," he said. "I remember getting so mad during rain delays in high school. But now, I knew my game was good, and it wasn't going to leave me. I knew that when we got back out, the conditions were going to be pretty easy and there would be no wind. The course was going to be soft, and so I was able to get a positive frame of mind and get some birdies."
Mueller had seven birdies, including the 16th and 17th holes, to finish the round five under par at 66 and become the second Wolverine to win an NCAA Regional, joining Kim in 2011.
The talented ball-striker from Athens (Georgia) Academy used to simply play his round and not worry about what was needed to win.
"But now I've changed that," said Mueller. "Now, I really like to know where I stand. I want to know what I have to do down the stretch to win the golf tournament. I think a lot of the great players do that. I mean, Tiger (Woods) is going to want to know where he stands and what he needs to do.
"This is a really big turn for me, because this is the first time coming down the stretch that I knew exactly where I stood. On 14, I had just made bogey, and at that point I asked (assistant coach) Patrick (Wilkes-Krier) where I stood, and I thought I would be way behind. He told me I was tied for the lead, and I was calm after that. I knew what I had to do, and I didn't feel any nerves at any point. I had four holes left to go to try and win this thing."
He qualified for the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in western Pennsylvania in 2016, and he said playing on that big stage and other top college and amateur tournaments has prepared him to be mentally tough under pressure.
"A lot of that can be attributed to playing in the Open and being under that spotlight," Mueller said.
Mueller, who owns six tournament titles and numerous schools records, credits Whitten (right) for much of his success.
CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT
Mueller's ability to constantly improve has been central to his success. He got a better feel for the course in Columbus with each passing round, and he put his knowledge to work in the second round to cut four strokes off his first-round score. He knocked another three strokes off his second-round total over the final 18 holes.
And, he's done that over the course of entire seasons, too. Mueller, the only Wolverine to score sub-72 over an entire season, was at 71.72 as a sophomore, 71.36 as a junior and 70.23 as a senior -- which also enabled him to become Michigan's first golfer to win the Big Ten's Les Bolstad Award for the lowest conference average.
Mueller has matched the school record of six tournament wins set by Michael Harris, and he joined Harris (1998, 1999 and 2000) as Michigan's only three-time All-Big Ten first team selections. Mueller also holds the U-M marks for career scoring average (71.60), single round (63) and tournaments over both 36 holes (135) and 54 holes (198).
When asked what record meant the most to him, Mueller said, "For me, it's not a single one. It's the scoring averages. I had to beat my own score every year, and I did. After my sophomore year, I was thinking, 'How can I get any better?' And then my senior year ended up being my best. That was huge for me."
Now, with one last event to play, with the NCAA individual championship on the line, Mueller has a chance to go out with quite a bang.
"If Kyle has a solid week at nationals -- not even great, but solid -- I think he'll be a first team All-America player," said Whitten. "Only 10 make that team. And when you look at that list year after year, those are typically guys who went on to have long careers in professional golf."
Mueller, an honorable mention All-American in 2017, would be Michigan's first to be recognized as a first team All-American.
"Kyle doesn't think about that," said Whitten, "but I know he wants to do well for Michigan and himself. But he's aware of that.
"It would be easy to say that what I've enjoyed most about coaching him is watching his golf and helping him with his golf. But, honestly, he's such a great kid that these trips and tournaments for us are just a blast. He's funny, he's likable, he's great with his teammates.
"It's always a perfect balance with competitiveness and fun. He has those Southern manners and a great head on his shoulders."
The feelings are quite mutual.
 "I think he's a lot of the reason why I've had so much success," Mueller said of Whitten. "When I came to college, I had a swing coach that I worked a lot with. But when I got here (in the fall of 2014), Chris and I worked on a lot of fundamentals and some simple stuff that I probably should've been doing since I first started playing golf.
"Chris talked with my swing coach back home, and we had a lot to work on my freshman year. And so I worked a lot on my swing my freshman year and my chipping and putting. There was such a big jump for me from the end of my senior year in high school to the end of my freshman year because I was able to finally work with somebody every day who was willing to work with me on my game and develop it while making me more consistent and fundamentally sound."
Whitten was asked what it's been like coaching Mueller.
"It's fun, first and foremost," said Whitten. "But in the last six months, he's hit an entirely different level. Some of it's in his confidence. Some of it's in his technique. But now he's talking about winning when we're going to some of these events, and he never used to do that.
"There's a difference between hoping you play well and knowing that you're going to play well. Seeing him hit that level has really been pretty cool."
And over his four years, the campus became home, while the golf center located off the west side of the University of Michigan Golf Course became his favorite hangout.
"I'm here all day every day it seems like," said Mueller. "And, now that I've graduated, I'm pretty much here from 9 to 5."
There's a ping pong table in the center of the lobby that he enjoys playing on with teammates and others.
Who's the best at that game?
"I don't want to brag right now," said Mueller, "but I think I am (laughter). Chris O'Neill graduated two years ago and he definitely had my number."
Mueller said he got all that he could've hoped for and more at Michigan.
"When I was looking for a school," he said, "I wanted to go somewhere where I would improve my game and get ready for the next level. Those stats show that I have gotten better throughout college. It's all really attributed to Chris and Patrick. I 100 percent made the right decision to come here. The stats that show improvement meant the most to me."
WINNING IN MEMORY OF MOM
Mueller was awarded the 2018 David Toms Overcoming Adversity Award at the Golf Channel Studios in Orlando for what he's accomplished after such a great personal loss.
"They asked me what my mom's lasting lesson was to me," said Mueller. "It was PACE: Positive Attitude Changes Everything. It was a little acronym that she used, and it drove me crazy whenever she would say that. I would be in a bad mood, asking why something happened, and she would always say: 'Kyle, PACE. It's going to be all right.'
"Now, it's a source of great comfort to me."
His mother, Monica, founded the Good Hands Veterinary Hospital in Athens in 2001 and even scored a hole-in-one while golfing.
The Muellers at the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont
"I still feel her presence on the course," said Mueller. "It's very powerful. I know she would be very proud of me and all my accomplishments. She's still watching from above. It's definitely difficult experiencing a regional win without her. But I know she's there, and she's watching over me."
His father, Eric, has taken over running Good Hands while continuing as chief of staff at the University of Georgia Large Animal Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Though, Kyle said Dad plans to retire soon from the university position and manage Kyle's professional career along with his mother's animal hospital.
"My dad has been very strong throughout this whole thing," said Mueller. "My brother and I went to him to lean on."
Kurt Mueller, 24, is in his second year of medical school at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.
"My dad's there for me all the time to talk about anything," said Kyle. "He comes to the majority of my events and is always there, guiding me, and making me the man I am today because of all his values. He just wanted to make sure we were humble and modest.
"I take all the values my mom and dad gave me into life. My brother, who is mature beyond his years, is somebody I try to emulate. My teammates and coaches also have been very valuable and supportive throughout this whole process. They all pretty much went down for her funeral, and that meant a lot to me."
Whitten said: "Our whole team was in shock when it happened because Monica was there at a lot of our events. She was almost like the team mom."
He wondered if Kyle might need a semester or more off.
"But it was never even a thought to him," said Whitten. "Both he and his dad said, 'She would want me to keep playing.' He had days when it was really, really hard for him. But he was anxious to get back to school and his teammates, his coaches and his routine because he really enjoys it."
He didn't even take a month off and came back better than ever. And kept getting better.
"I think he transitioned into doing it for his mom and thinking of her as he goes," said Whitten. "He handled it as well as anyone could have."
His brother can't go to Stillwater because he has exams to study for, but his father will be there. And Kyle Patrick Mueller is quite sure that his mother will be with him, too.
Tomorrow: Read about Mueller's place in Michigan golf history and what two coaches have to say about whether he's the Wolverines' best ever.
Players Mentioned
