Matthew Shull has found a rhythm that allows him to attack each shot with confidence while keeping the bigger picture in perspective. That balance between trusting his preparation and staying locked in has helped the Tennessee Tech golfer turn strong performances into recognition on the conference stage.
Shull earned the Southern Conference Golfer of the Week award after leading the Golden Eagles to a sixth-place finish at the Dolenc Invitational.
Shull finished the first day of the tournament 12 under par after shooting a 65 in each of the first two rounds. His performance included a first round featuring eight birdies and a second round where he recorded seven birdies.
“Honestly for me, I knew the week before at UAB I was hitting it very good, I just wasn’t scoring very well, but I felt very confident off the tee and I just put myself in great positions and I knew if I hit the fairway off the tee, and if I had a wedge in my hand I pretty much hit it to tap-in,” Shull said. “So it was pretty much domination from there.”
Shull said maintaining focus during the strong start was a critical component of his success on the course. Shull said he avoided getting carried away by his score to ensure he remained concentrated on the task at hand.
“You don’t want to get carried away or just focused on what you’re at. If I’m six under par, I don’t want to be focused on that and you just got to go one hole at a time and just be in your own world and just do your thing,” Shull said.
Shull said he relies on his faith to provide him with the strength and confidence needed to compete at a high level. Shull said he focuses on hitting his shots while trusting in a higher power to determine the ultimate outcome of the match.
” I tried to believe in myself, just trust myself and know if I just put it all in the Lord’s hands, just for Him to give me strength. Whatever His will is, let it happen, and I’m going to go out there and hit the shots and let Him declare what happens from there.”
Shull said his mental approach provides him with a sense of peace that allows him to remain consistent throughout the season. Shull said that while he maintains this perspective, he still enters every competition with a drive to outperform every other golfer in the field.
“I would say that it’s helped me stay consistent, keeping me in a very solid place, just a place of peace, knowing that whatever I do, just want to go out there and play for the Lord,” Shull said. “That’s really been my mindset just kind of whatever happens happens, but obviously during the tournament, I’m trying to go take it more under par and beat everyone by as many as I can. That’s really my mindset and I just want to take that into qualifying and anything that I do. I want to beat every person there whether you’re my teammate or not.”
Shull said he plans to carry this momentum into future tournaments by sticking to his established practice routines and hitting specific checkpoints. Shull said he intends to trust the work he has already put in because of the results it has produced so far.
“I’m just going to keep going through my same routines, just hitting my checkpoints every day in practice making sure everything’s in alignment and where I need it to be and then once the weekend comes around, just trust what I’ve been doing because obviously it’s been working so just keep believing in myself,” Shull said.
Shull said he hopes his continued performance will lead to further recognition and success for the Tennessee Tech program in the coming weeks.
