Growing up down the street from some of the biggest club manufacturers in the world in temperate Southern California, golf was bound to be a part of junior transfer Luke Potter’s life.
After moving the family from Wisconsin to Encinitas, California, about 25 miles north of San Diego, Potter’s father, P.J., wanted to get then 2-year-old Luke, who was running around the house “whacking a little ball around,” out on the course.
Almost immediately, P.J. hired swing coach Greg Casagranda, who helped Potter model his swing after the legendary Ben Hogan, the namesake of the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, which Potter and the Longhorns will compete in on Monday and Tuesday.
Despite wearing his heart on his sleeve, Potter has learned to stay focused through the sport’s inevitable ups and downs for nearly two decades, all under Casagranda’s tutelage.
“If you get ahead of yourself, one bad break here, one bad break there, it could kind of derail a round,” Potter said. “I’m still in the learning phase 18 years into playing golf. That’s what keeps it fun and interesting.”
In 2019, Potter was named California Freshman Athlete of the Year, given to the top high school freshman across all sports in the Golden State, and was the first golfer to win the award since 15-time major champion Tiger Woods. As a child, Potter watched in awe as Woods routinely dominated his opponents on the PGA tour, giving Potter the confidence to do the same to his competitors.
Throughout his high school career, Potter would do just that, winning a California individual state championship and National High School Golfer of the Year, culminating in three Rolex All-American selections and being the No. 1 ranked recruit in the class of 2022.
Potter originally committed and enrolled at Arizona State and hit the ground running. He posted a 71.00 stroke average across 12 tournaments, the second-lowest by a freshman in program history since 1985, but his sophomore year would be underwhelming.
Potter’s stroke average increased by 1.40 despite playing in five fewer tournaments, leaving him in the middle of the pack for the first time in his career and looking for answers.
“I just wasn’t getting the most out of my game,” Potter said. “It was mostly my fault just because when you get to college, everyone is Mr. Golf in their respective states, and I just kind of leveled off.”
In May, Potter announced that he would transfer to Texas, where he will look to develop his game alongside his teammates and roommates Christiaan Maas and Tommy Morrison, who are also ranked in the top 50 of the world amateur rankings at 13th and 15th, respectively. He also cites working under Head Coach John Fields, entering his 28th season coaching the Longhorns, and his staff as a crucial factor in his decision to transfer to Texas.
While invaluable to his personal development, it wasn’t just Casagranda’s coaching, Fields’ mentorship or even Hogan’s legendary swing that helped Potter mentally persevere in the face of lofty expectations.
“The most important shot in golf is the next one,” Potter recalled with a smile. “Actually, Ben Hogan said that.”
