Oregon men’s golf head coach Casey Martin first learned about Aaron Wise’s demeanor on the golf course years before Wise became a Duck. It was after a tournament when Wise played poorly.
“I had one of the representatives that follows junior golf and he saw him at a tournament,” Martin said. “He came up to me and he goes, ‘I still think [Wise] is the best kid here.’ Just because of how he handled losing and the maturity factor.”
Martin started formally recruiting Wise by Wise’s junior year of high school. Wise’s demeanor was solid, but even more importantly, Martin saw many of Wise’s scores that “jumped off the page.” In November of 2013 Wise verbally committed to play golf at the University of Oregon.
Fast forward two and a half years and Wise is nearing the home stretch of arguably the most successful season by an Oregon freshman since Martin began coaching the men’s team in 2006. His stellar season has been highlighted by first place finishes at the Desert Mountain Invitational and the Ka’Anapali Intercollegiate – only his third-ever collegiate tournament.
“To win twice as a freshman, it’s the most I’ve ever had,” Martin said. “I’ve never had a a freshman win before. I thought he was an amazing player coming in, so it doesn’t really catch me by surprise, but I think he’s done a phenomenal job.”
Although Wise has not played like a typical college freshman this season, he is still adapting to college. Wise acknowledged his biggest challenge this year is not being able to see his family, only seeing them over winter break and a quick trip to Palm Springs.
But whenever Wise faces a challenge, whether its on the course or off of it, teammates have noticed his ability to work through it.
“He carries himself well,” said Brandon McIver, a junior on the men’s golf team. “He gets upset with himself when he hits bad shots, but he’s literally the first one to bounce back and make a couple birdies in a row. It’s like he plays with a controlled rage.”
Martin added: “When he plays golf he doesn’t show a lot of emotion. He’s emotionally mature, which has been a big tell of my players that have been able to do things.”
Even more remarkable about Wise’s freshman campaign, several of the courses he’s played this season were his first time as well. McIver and other upperclassmen on the team have helped guide Wise through these unfamiliar courses.
“A lot of that comes from the way we practice with the team,” Wise told the Emerald in the fall. “We’re able to draw on the experience we get from our practices and perform the shots properly.”
Their guidance will be especially important during this weekend’s Western Intercollegiate at the Pasatiempo Golf Course in Santa Cruz, Calif., the team’s last tournament before the Pac-12 Championship.
“Zach [Foushee], Thomas [Lim] and myself have all played it,” McIver said. “There’s certain holes out there that you need to play a particular way. We’ll definitely help [Wise] out this weekend and once we give him info, I think he can take it from there.”
Martin said these last few tournaments will ultimately determine where Wise’s season is regarded among other freshmen he’s coached, but doesn’t have any added expectations for him. As for Wise, he’s hungry for more.
“I want to win them all,” he said with a smile.
Follow Will Denner on Twitter @will_denner