WEST POINT, Ala. — West Point’s golf team had a great 2023 season, and, in this interview, junior TB Pendley recapped that season and shared some of what he learned throughout the year.
“Last season was great. We had a pretty well-rounded top five going into the season. We had some ups-and-downs, but we kept pushing to be the best. We were fortunate enough to go to Sub-State. The season was great. The thing that I learned would have to be how hard you have to work to be good at the game of golf and how much of a strong-minded person you have to be,” Pendley said. “It was fun being around the Sutter brothers and all of my teammates were tremendous. The work ethic between all of us was there. We always had fun and enjoyed what we done. We always knew what we are trying to accomplish. The Sutter brothers were a big part of me taking golf so seriously and helping me better my game day in and day out.”
TB has enjoyed playing for his coach so far and has seen his golf performance improve so much over the past couple of years.
“He’s a great coach and a great person off the course as well. He’s helped me and my teammates tremendously of making sure we put the work in each day, because he knows what our talent can do and what goals we have for the season,” Pendley said. “From golf season last year to now, I’ve worked really hard, and the Lord has blessed me with going from mid-80s to mid-to-high 70s. Rawlin and Bailey Sutter have helped me tremendously with my golf game and making sure I’m playing somewhere every day, keeping me on track. I’ve really pushed myself this summer, playing tough tournaments on the AJGO tour and placing in the top 10 in a couple of tournaments. Knowing that I’m the pivotal person on the team, playing the three, you have to bring your game every tournament and have a work ethic attitude, because I know that the Sutter brothers are going to bring it every tournament.”
TB will continue to work on his game in the offseason as he gets ready for this upcoming golf season, and he talked about his goals and the team goals.
“I will be working hard to get my scores lower and try to be a low-70s golfer before the season comes back around, since we’ve been one to two strokes away for the past two years of making it to the state playoffs,” he said. “Winning a state championship is 100% what I and the team is going for. We have the talent for it and we’re going to work hard every day to make sure we accomplish it. We’re not going to let one or two strokes keep us from being in the state finals this season. Another goal would be improving as a leader and being a good person on and off the course.”
He thinks this team will have another special season this year and he has a few role models that he watches really close.
“What will make this team special to watch is that we have a young, talented team and we have the capability to compete against top-ranked teams. We have a chance to be in the state finals,” he said. “I love watching Justin Thomas. With him playing college golf at Alabama, it makes me a big fan of him, and he has the killer mentality of wanting to win. Max Homa has always been a big one for me as well because of his swing, and how his tempo is so smooth. Of course, everybody loves Tiger.”
He talked about the best advice that someone ever gave him.
“My good friend, Chase Thompson, a great college golfer, that has worked with me a lot this summer, said, ‘When you hit a bad shot in golf, you got to forget it and play the next shot. There’s going to be times in life when you mess up or make a mistake, but you can’t look back and worry about the past; you have to move forward'”.
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