University of Minnesota Athletics
Senior Turns Over New Leaf at Minnesota
2/24/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Senior William Leaf always knew he wanted to play golf at the University of Minnesota. In fact, he was recruited by head coach John Carlson during high school.
"I really liked Will as a high school player and, at the time, we had a really full roster and I wasn't able to add him as a part of our roster," Carlson remembered. "I really kept my eye on him when he went away to college. I had heard he wasn't enjoying his experience down there. That gave me the opportunity to allow him to realize his goals, and one of his big goals in high school was to be a Gopher."
Though he initially began his college career at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, the Winona native ultimately transferred to the U, where he finally got to sport Maroon and Gold.
"That was a good transition for me," Leaf said. "Going down to Southern Illinois, I learned a lot. I also learned that I wanted to come back and play for my home state."
"I knew a lot of people who were in his corner in Winona, and, for him to transfer to the U, I expected him to come in and flourish here," Carlson said.
Leaf made a huge impact on the coaches as well as his teammates during his time at Minnesota despite being injured at the time during his junior year.
Navigating through his first-ever injury was tough for Leaf because he had never expected to get hurt himself.
"You see a lot of professionals go through it," he said. "That's a lot of motivation, too, to see that they can get through it with the schedule they're playing. You just kind of keep your head up and look forward to the future."
Leaf didn't let the injuries keep him down, as evidenced by his recognition as the Gophers' 2002 National Champions Teammate of the Year last season.
"He was teammate of the year because the guys look to him for swinging advice," Carlson said. "They trust his knowledge of golf because it's at a really high level. As a teammate, being able to help guys when the coaching staff isn't around when they're struggling with their games is really important, especially from an upperclassman. Will does everything the coaching staff asks of him. When we look at how much we require from these guys as student-athletes, Will doesn't shy away from doing what we're telling him. He works really hard. I think being seen by the other guys on the team is a perfect fit being a teammate of the year."
When asked what the teammate of the year honor meant to him, Leaf was quick to demonstrate how much of team player he really is.
"It meant a lot," he said. "Our team is really close, especially having a big team as well. Getting to know these guys on a personal level is huge and then coming into practice and applying that to their golf games in the same way. We all ask each other questions and try to be there for anything they need."
Fellow senior Grady Meyer agreed that Leaf deserved the title of teammate of the year, saying, "Will really knows his swing super well and I think that goes into it. I think a lot of guys on the team go to him with questions about golf swings, what to work on... He really helps all the other guys when we have questions about our own games... He's always really friendly with everyone and makes sure he's there for people's golf games."
Reflecting on his last three years with the Gophers, Leaf said his favorite memory was travelling with the team to Hawaii after coming off his injuries.
The team has become close over the past three years, especially he and Meyer.
"It's been awesome," said Meyer. "He's one of my closest friends on the team. We've had a lot of fun together travelling, school and everything. I'm super pumped he transferred here back in sophomore year and I think it's been so great since he's got here. It's been a great three years with him."
What's next for Leaf? He has his aspirations set high and would like to play golf professionally, maybe trying to make the PGA Tour.
"After this, I'm going to head south for the winter, find some warm weather and just try to get as good as possible," he said. "I'll give it a run and if it doesn't work out, that's something I have to deal with. Just as long as I give it my all, I'll be satisfied."
Players Mentioned
