Next month Nightcaps golfer Liam Todd will depart for the United States on a four-year scholarship.
Todd, who has been golfing for six years, received the offer of a half scholarship from Sterling College in Kansas based on his golfing and academic efforts.
In October last year, Todd said he got on to an Australian scouting company National Scouting Report Australia (NSR) who held a trial day in Christchurch for young, talented golf players.
NSR ran three events last year in Auckland, Wellington and Southland in conjunction with New Zealand Golf, he said.
“They basically went over your golf game and selected you for an interview, and luckily I got an interview.”
A few months later he received the offer from Sterling College, he said.
It was the first offer that came through and Todd took it up not wanting to pass on the opportunity, he said.
“I didn’t want to risk turning it down and having nothing else.”
Todd signed the forms and February and it was all confirmed.
Working through the final stages of the visa application process, Todd expects he will depart in August.
“There’s been a few wee hold ups but it’s all smoothed out now.”
He already has three golf tournaments lined up in September and another couple in October, he said.
“It’s basically straight into it as soon as I get over there.”
Todd said he enjoys the challenge of golf.
“The fact that you have to work at it to get better and it’s such a difficult sport to get good at. It’s quite rewarding.”
Todd was not short of motivation with his scholarship dependent on his performance.
“If you perform quite well, they can sort of give you a bit more support, but it can go the other way as well.”
Todd wants to do a degree in business studies while at Sterling, looking more to the management side, he said.
“I’ve been doing some part time stuff at SIT as well over the last two years, just picking away at that.”
– The Southland Times
(http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/70575731/todd-heading-to-us-on-golf-scholarship)