Mathias Chau is sophomore history major here at California State University Long Beach. If one saw him walking around campus, they wouldn’t think of him any differently than anyone else. But when Chau steps off of the campus and onto the golf course, he turns heads. Heads that follow 300-yard drives and 100-yard hole outs.
Chau started golfing at the age of seven, even participating in tournaments with his uncle standing by his side. But when he outgrew his first set of clubs, he had to give up the game. A good set of clubs is generally worth thousands of dollars, and he didn’t have that kind of money just lying around.
Last year, however, Chau reinvested in the game that he had excelled at when he was young. Set up with a job at the local golf course, Chau was able to save his paychecks and pull together enough for a new set of golf clubs. After that, everything started to come together. “On a good drive, I can hit the ball about 290, 300 yards,” said Chau. Most professionals hit their drives right around 300 yards, some longer, some shorter. “It’s kind of hard being consistent. There are a lot of thing you need to go right in a golf swing.”
No, Mathias Chau is not on the Long Beach State golf team. But he plans on joining next year.
“I’ve still got a couple of things to work out with my long game,” he said. “I feel like my putting is there right now and my short game is pretty good…but once I start hitting greens from farther out, I can help myself out a lot.”
Following a successful career at Long Beach State, Chau plans to enter the PGA Tour’s Qualifying School, which is the path most aspiring golfers take to reach the pros. In Qualifying School (or “Q-school,” as it’s often referred to as”), hundreds of golfers enter into a month-long tournament with numerous stages. A handful of golfers move on from each stage and by the end of it, a select few earn membership to the Nationwide Tour, which is similar to baseball’s minor leagues. An even smaller number (usually in the single digits) earn membership to the prestigious PGA Tour.
“In a perfect world, I would one of the few golfers to not have to go to Qualifying School,” said Chau. “Realistically, I would probably have to go through Q-school and win a few tournaments.”
Mathias Chau certainly has the attitude and standards needed for a successful golf career. However, attitude and standards will only get one so far.
“I’ve got to keep working, keep practicing, and not taking anything for granted,” said Chau.
Keep practicing, and the stars may align. After all, practice does make perfect.
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