VIDEO: JC Deacon Talks SEC Championship
Monday, April 13, 2015 | Men's Golf
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida men's golf coach JC Deacon met with the media on Monday to discuss the upcoming SEC Tournament. The Gators travel to St. Simons Island, Ga., this week for the conference championship. The tournament will run Friday-Saturday and will be played at the Sea Island Golf Club's Seaside Course.
Opening statement:
“Obviously this is a dream come true for me, personally. The SEC is the best of the best, and to be a head coach heading to the SEC Championship is an incredible honor. I can't thank Mr. Foley enough for giving me that chance, but the guys have done an awesome job. We finished runner-up in our previous tournament, and the work ethic since they've got home has been incredible. We had, by far, our best work out of the year. Sean Ferguson, our strength coach and I really wanted to test them this morning and put them through easily the toughest work out of the year. The attitude and the work ethic around this team has really changed, and I'm really proud of all of the guys for that. We're heading up to Sea Island on Wednesday, a phenomenal place. The golf course is supposedly unbelievable. I've never been there before but heard rave reviews about it. Most of our team has played there, so we have some experience, and everyone is raring to go. I know the seniors, Eric Banks and J.D. Tomlinson, are really ready to get after it, and I'm really excited to see what we can do.”
“Do you have a lineup yet for this week?”
“Yes, J.D. Tomlinson will play No. 1, A.J. Crouch will play No. 2, Alejandro Tosti will play No. 3, Ryan Orr will play No. 4 and Eric Banks will play No. 5.”
“Does having experience in this tournament give you guys an advantage this week?”
“Yes, I think J.D. has played there four times. Eric has played there at least three times. Ryan Orr has some experience there. These are completely different kids than the first (tournament) of the year. I keep bugging J.D. when he's walking around the facility because he's got the golf bug right now. He's 22 years old or whatever, and he can't get enough of the game. It's so awesome to see. He's practicing and playing every day and really pushing himself, and it's really fun to be around. I think that goes for all of the guys. They're really rejuvenated and fired up, and I think we're going to be a handful to deal with.”
“Has preparation changed at all this week because the goal is not only to improve, but to move on to regionals?”
“I don't think so. We're working three times as hard as we did when we started this year, so that's all I can ask for as a coach. The attitude is so much better than it was when we started, and that's obviously another huge thing, so, right there, we're so far ahead of where we were when we started the year. I looked back to that first tournament we had. It was a heavy SEC field, and we were 12 shots behind the second-to-last place team after the first day. To think about how far this team has come since that day, it makes me so proud.”
“I talked to J.D. earlier this week. He said after graduation, he plans to go pro. Can you talk about the transition as a player from collegiate golf to going to try to get on tour?”
“It's a tough one, it really is, because you're taking the best of the best from the college crop, and then they're all going to try and make money. Golf is a different game when you're trying to make money. Those shots that you leave off on the course – they start having a number beside them. If you bogey the last hole, it's worth $1,000 or $50,000, or whatever it is. That can really hurt. There will be some adjusting for him, but I really think he's ready. He had a streak this year of 10 straight rounds at par or better, and that's an obvious sign that he's ready to play at the next level. He puts the time in, he loves the game and I'm really excited to see what he can do.”
“How was this last week been for you personally, with the last regular-season tournament and having a baby? Can you talk about that experience?”
“I had to miss the last tournament. I had to stay home, and thank God I did. My wife went into labor last Saturday, and then Sunday morning we had our first daughter, Dylan Kelly Deacon. I feel like a changed man. I don't sleep anymore. You have this new person that shows up who you just fall incredibly in love with, so what a gift. I'm so proud of my wife and her. It definitely gives you a new perspective – some different things to work for and stuff like that – but John Handrigan's been unbelievable. He went and took the guys to Mississippi, to the last tournament, and stayed right in the path that we were on. Without him, I don't know where I would be this year. He's been the absolute best. He's a great friend, great coach, and I've loved working with him. Life's pretty exciting right now, and I can't believe I have a daughter and I'm a head coach going to the SEC Championship. A lot of dreams are coming true.”
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