McLean Humbled to Enter "M" Club Hall of Fame

Last Thursday was a special day in Minnesota athletics as the newest members were inducted into the "M" Club Hall of Fame. The men's golf program was represented by two inductees this year, James McLean and Justin Smith. While Smith is around the program every day as associate head coach, McLean had not been back to the state in 10 years. A native of Sydney, Australia, McLean won the 1998 NCAA individual national championship with the Golden Gophers. He now works in construction and recently bought a home in Melbourne, where he lives with his wife and son. He was at the men's golf team's practice last Thursday, which is where GopherSports.com caught up with him.

GopherSports: What does it mean to be inducted into the Hall of Fame?
James McLean: "It's a massive honor. It's quite humbling; I really wasn't expecting it. It's a huge honor and I'm just so proud that I went to the U of M. I tell everybody back home about my college experience. I always try to encourage more junior golfers to explore the opportunities of playing in America."

GS: Has getting that call caused you to reflect on your time at Minnesota?
JM: "Absolutely. I had three really great years here, winning NCAAs was such a long time ago, but it definitely made me reflect on those times and the guys that I shared it with too, my teammates. I've been trying to touch base with as many as I can this week. I took a stroll around campus and it's amazing how many flashbacks I had. I'm just trying to take it all in because I don't quite know when I'll get back here again.

GS: Does campus seem different than it did when you were here?
JM: "Oh yeah. Even just the facilities at Bierman, like walking in those front doors. The facilities these days are amazing and world-class on any level, whether it be professional football in Australia or Europe or wherever, the facilities are just phenomenal. All the student-athletes these days are extremely lucky literally just to be walking into a facility like that. They probably take it for granted, but 20 years ago we thought we were lucky, but the U of M has definitely come along leaps and bounds. It's an amazing recruiting tool and let's hope it works and the U of M gets back on top in all sports again."

GS: What do you remember about your arrival in Minnesota? You got here in January and by May you were an NCAA champion.
JM: "I literally got off the plane in shorts and a t-shirt in the middle of winter, in January. I had a Sunday bag with six clubs in it: a putter, a couple of irons and an old driver, that's all I had. They promised me when I got to the U of M that they'd get me a set of sticks, so I was pumped for that. In the meantime I went in to 2^nd Swing and got a second-hand set of Mizuno Trues, and three months or four months later I won the NCAAs with them straight off the rack."

GS: Did they ever get you those new clubs they said they were going to have for you?
JM: "It's amazing, yeah, after I won NCAAs the new clubs came my way, but I still stuck with those True's. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. They worked and to this day the guys can't believe the clubs I was using back then. With all the technology now and getting fitted out, and I just had a second-hand set off the rack and put them in place right away, but I loved them. I've still got them in a bag back here. I still have a storage locker here in Minnesota, that's one of my duties this week is to go clean it out and bring the rest back home. I just bought a house in Melbourne, so there's a lot of memorabilia that's sitting there that I would love to hang on the wall in the old man cave one day. The NCAA trophy and my letter jacket are still in storage, it's never made it back to Australia yet, so this week I'll take it back."

GS: What went into the decision to go pro after spending three years with the Gophers?
JM: "The opportunity came up, I was speaking with agents after that. The NCAAs had just been held at Hazeltine, and I had the offer. I had a lot of friends who didn't go through the university system in America, they didn't want to turn pro and were playing in Europe. Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy are guys that are my peers that I went through with and we all turned pro. I guess I was keen to get out there and the opportunity came through and I went to Q School and got my card. In hindsight, I honestly say that I would've liked to have stayed an extra year in Minnesota so I could've gotten my degree from the U of M. As it turns out, I retired from golf about four years ago and went back to university and did engineering and construction and that's what I do now."

GS: How long did you end up playing professionally?
JM: "I was on the PGA Tour for three full seasons and then a Nationwide Tour for a few seasons on either side of that. Then I played in Europe for a couple seasons and then finished up in Japan. Unfortunately, my body sort of gave way, had a couple of wrist surgeries, knee, hip. The one that made me hang up the sticks was I had C2 and C3 (vertebrae) replaced in my neck after a bad surfing accident."

GS: Looking back on your professional career, what stands out to you?
JM: "My days on the PGA Tour I remember extremely fondly, you get to meet all your idols. The tour was fantastic because you actually get to know the guys in real life, which was a massive plus. Early on, I remember playing a practice round with Nick Price and he sort of took me under his wing; what a gentleman and a great guy, they all really were. Those were my favorite memories, obviously tour memories, hitting shots and things like that, but it's more the friends I made out there and the guys I met. The doors from having played in the PGA Tour opened, that's what I remember."

GS: How often do you get out and play?
JM: "I was just telling the boys I think I'll play three or four times this year, so not very often. I plan to play more, but with a two-year-old, a new business and a new house there's not a whole lot of time, but hopefully in the future I'll be able to make time. And there's always the Senior Tour. I always tell the boys that if I stay fit enough and agile enough, I'll make a comeback in 10 years' time."

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