Passion and Work Ethic Propel Hall to NCAA Championship

Preparation and consistency are keys for South Carolina junior golfer Ryan Hall. That’s probably true for almost every student-athlete, but it’s Hall’s commitment and work ethic that have him playing in the NCAA Championship later this week at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Known as someone who plays with a lot of passion, Hall enjoys what he calls the “cruelty” of the game.

Coach Bill McDonald and Ryan Hall

“If you mess up, it’s nobody’s fault but yourself,” said Hall, who is a tourism management major. “I’ve played baseball and basketball growing up. Those are two sports where you really rely on your teammates. I fell in love with golf because if you mess up, it’s on you. It’s the responsibility and the pride you take in it. If you mess up, it’s your fault, and if you succeed, nobody did it but you. It’s rewarding and cruel. That’s why I love it.”

Hall’s dedication and passion have been evident to South Carolina head coach Bill McDonald since he set foot on campus.

“He’s got the kind of healthy anger and drive of someone who wants something so bad, that he’s not going to let anything stop him,” McDonald said. “He works as hard as anyone I’ve ever had in this program. His freshman year, we had to ask him to stop hitting balls. He never gets worn out. He plays with a lot of anger and aggression. It’s hurt him in the past, but now he has learned how to control it.

“Now, the only times you’re going to see him get wound up is when there is food in front of him or when he’s on the golf course. We call him ‘Hoover’ because he vacuums up everybody’s leftovers.”

Hall has spent most of this year collecting great numbers on the links. He’s had one of the most consistent single seasons in program history, finishing in the top-20 in all 10 tournaments this year, which includes two wins, four top-fives (T-7th most in program history) and six top-10s (T-8th most in program history). He earned First Team All-SEC honors and became the first Gamecock golfer to earn a spot on the U.S. Arnold Palmer Cup team. His 69.67 scoring average is currently the best in school history and ranks third in the country in the latest Golfstat Player Rankings.

“The scary thing is that he still has so much room for improvement,” McDonald said. “There are parts of his game that I still consider to be pretty raw. That’s what is so amazing about him.”

“I’ve really improved off the tee and putting the ball in play, mostly in the fairway,” Hall said. “That’s the easiest way to play consistent golf. I can’t recall a time that I hit out of bounds this year. I’ve kept it in play, and I’ve hit a lot of greens, too. Starting well from the tee is a key to playing consistent golf, and just being in a good mental state knowing that every tournament is three rounds so that one bad round isn’t going to make or break my week. Improving mentally really helps a lot.”

“To still have a representative is really good, and somebody that could legitimately win the thing and be the top player in college golf.”
– Coach Bill McDonald

Hall is just the third NCAA Regional Champion in program history since regional play began in 1993, and he’s in good company joining former All-American and PGA TOUR player Kyle Thompson, who won regionals twice as a Gamecock (1999 and 2001). Hall recently won the Albuquerque Regional by one stroke for his third career win to earn the chance to play in the 2021 NCAA Championship as an individual, shooting rounds of 68, 68, and 69 to finish 11-under par.

“I finished earlier than the guy who was chasing me,” Hall said. “I had a one stroke lead at the time. I went out to watch him a little bit. It was a pretty exciting moment. I’m just really excited that I get to play at nationals.

“I think I would have rather had to make a putt and have it been in my control, versus it being in someone else’s hands. It wasn’t stressful though. I left it all out there.”

Staying cool under pressure has been a tell-tale sign of maturity for Hall, and he doesn’t obsess about what the rest of the field is doing while he plays.

“I don’t use my phone out there,” Hall said. “Coach McDonald was walking with me (at regionals) for the last nine holes. He was telling me where I was at and what I needed to do. I knew coming down the stretch that I was in the lead, and I basically just needed to make a couple of pars and one or two more birdies.”

“I’m OK with him displaying some emotion, as long as it’s not going to affect the next shot,” McDonald said. “Everybody is wired a little differently. He made a double-bogey on the eighth hole of his last round, and I could tell by his body language coming off the green that he had done something bad. Then he goes to the tee on the next one and just bombs it in the middle of the fairway, so I knew he was alright. That’s where he has gotten a lot better. He has definitely matured in that way.”

Hall has done a remarkable job this year of overcoming a bad shot or round with plenty of great ones. Among the men’s college golfers with 30 or less rounds played, Hall leads the nation with 120 birdies and 11 eagles, carding two in the second round of the Albuquerque Regional. As he prepares for the NCAA Championships, it’s business as usual.

Ryan and his father, Brian, in Albuquerque

“In terms of preparing for this one, it’s more of the same,” Hall said.  “I’m just doing all the things I normally do – working on my swing, chipping, and putting. On a day-to-day basis, I try to work as hard as I can, so that when I go to a tournament, I feel like I’ve done everything I could to prepare. From a mental standpoint, that helps me a lot.

“I’m not superstitious. I’m the least superstitious person out there. I’ll use a different color Sharpie, and I mark my ball differently all the time.”

Playing at nationals is somewhat bittersweet for Hall and McDonald as the Gamecocks came up short of qualifying as a team during the NCAA Regional, but both are excited for the opportunity.

“It’s going to be an interesting experience being with just one player,” McDonald said. “We get along great. He’s just a cool kid. I think it says a lot about our program that we didn’t make it to the finals, but to still have a representative is really good, and somebody that could legitimately win the thing and be the top player in college golf.”

“It’s going to be a completely different,” Hall said. “Having Coach out there and wearing the South Carolina uniform without my teammates is going to be really strange, but it’s an opportunity to do something special for the University. I’m still representing the school, and I’m just going to try to make everybody proud. I wish my teammates were there, but that’s not how it worked out.

“I’ve played this course before, and I love Arizona. It’s going to be hot, but I’m looking forward to it. Competing in the National Championship is going to be really cool. I’ll have a lot of family out there. Just being in that atmosphere competing, which I love to do, is going to be tons of fun.”