Meet the Tide Golfers: Freshman Joseph Sykora
4/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
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By Kyle Murphy, UA Media Relations
If the old saying “Knowledge is Power” is true, then University of Alabama golfer Joseph Sykora is a pretty powerful individual. Add that to the fact he is a promising freshman on the Tide golf team, and you’ve got yourself a pretty gifted player.
Sykora was not only one of the top golfers coming out of high school, winning the 2002 Future Masters championship in Dothan and leading UMS-Wright to three straight 4A State Championships in 2000-2002, he is also one of the smartest players on the team and among students at the University. Sykora was on the Freshman Academic Honor Roll as a redshirt in 2004. He is currently participating in the Honors College and is a Capstone Scholar. Along with fellow teammate Lance Walker, Sykora represents the Men’s Golf team on the Student Athlete Advisory Council, which is a leadership organization that helps out in the Tuscaloosa community.
Sykora’s best round this year happened to be in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when he posted a first round score of 66 (-6), one of the lowest scores for an individual performance out of the 13 schools and 65 golfers that participated.
When did you start playing golf and what made you want to start playing?
“I started playing when I was 8. My family moved to a neighborhood with a golf course and since it was around me, I decided to start playing.”
Is there anything special you do to get you ready before a match?
“I wouldn’t say anything special. I try and get some sleep on the day of the match to get ready.”
What’s your favorite thing about being out on the golf course?
“Sometimes when you are out on the course having a bad day, you just think about where you are and it calms you down. This is like a job and it’s good to know that you are spending your afternoons out on the course.”
What makes playing golf in the state of Alabama so great?
“The weather is good. It gets hot sometimes, but it never gets very cold. In the north, you can’t even play year round. The best thing about playing at the school is the support we get. Our coaches are great and they know a lot about the sport.”
If you could play in any other country besides the USA, where would you play?
“I would probably go to Australia. I have played with some Australians before and they were good players who were very competitive. Plus the weather is very nice there.”
