Xavier Williams a senior on N.C. A&T men’s golf team finished first in the HBCU Tournament and was named the Big South Golfer of the Week. Williams finished three under par to secure his first college tournament win.
Editor-in-Chief, Jerry Humphrey and I had the pleasure of talking with Williams about this tournament and the team’s future this season.
Williams was glad to start off his season with a win and he believes if he can stick to his craft, the best has yet to come.
“It was nice to get the monkey off my back per se. I would have loved to get the job done and finish it in a playoff. Like my mom says ‘God’s got a greater plan for me’ and I really believe that so I think the best is yet to come,” Williams said.
Golf is just as mental as it is physical. Williams hit a double-bogey on hole 13 and put himself in a predicament. However, he was able to bounce back with two birdies later in the day. Williams believes being mentally strong in golf is one of the key components to the game.
“That’s the hardest thing about golf. Especially my first couple of years here at A&T, I would make a mistake and let it lead to more and more mistakes. I just think it’s my maturity level and one shot shouldn’t affect the next shot,” Williams said.
Williams believes he was very fortunate to get into golf at such an early age. His grandfather introduced him to the sport at the age of four and has played ever since.
Williams explained how it is good for young black men to learn how to play golf. He believes the sport can do more than just give scholarships, it teaches life lessons and a lifelong skill that can be passed onto future generations.
“I think it’s very important that African-American young men especially get into golf because there are so many scholarships out there for young African-American golfers. HBCUs like Howard are getting new golf teams so it’s important. Not so much to become good at it, but golf is a character builder so you get a lot out of playing golf not so much out of being good at it but life as well,” Williams said.
Williams is more than an athlete, if he wasn’t spending hours on the range, he would be getting screen time as a sports reporter. Williams is a Journalism and Mass Communications student and was inspired by Stephen A. Smith when choosing JOMC as his major.
“I’ve always loved sports, ever since I was a little kid. I used to run around the house and everybody used to call me ‘Mr. ESPN’ because I would always be watching SportsCenter and know all of the stats. I’m a big Stephen A Smith guy and he went to a HBCU at Winston Salem State. It gave me the motivation to go to a HBCU,” Williams said.
When asked who he would rather caddy for out of Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry, and Tiger Woods, he said Tiger and it wasn’t a hard decision to make.
“Tiger woods every single day of the week. Tiger Woods has been someone I have looked up to ever since I was little. Just being a young black man that looks like me, doing something I love to do and being the best at it in the world, you can’t beat that,” Williams said.
N.C. A&T Men’s Golf team had a new addition to the team in freshman J.R. Smith. Williams said Smith’s presence has helped him and his teammates elevate their game to the next level.
“Being his teammate and being around him has been so inspirational and has driven me to take my game to another level. This is JR Smith, an NBA champion, he’s not used to losing and not okay with that. Staying after practice, getting in the weight room when I can, and doing the little stuff that I know will pay off in the end. Having him on the team has been a great addition,” Williams said.
Confidence is through the roof right now and Williams believes that if the team continues their hard work they will be the best HBCU golf team in the nation.
To stay up to date with N.C. A&T Men’s Golf team, follow their Instagram page @NcatAggieGolf. The Aggies will be back in action at the Phoenix Invitational hosted by Elon University on Oct. 11-12.
