The first thing one might notice about Bradley freshman men’s golfer Connor Hamm on the course is that he can drive the ball a whopping 320 yards…consistently…with ease. Although his numbers are gaudy off the tee, Hamm is humble, even-keeled and doesn’t break when faced with a challenge.
Playing arguably the world’s most frustrating sport can take a toll on a golfer, especially for one adjusting to the next level. The change has been even bigger for Hamm, who’s hometown is listed as Macomb, Illinois, but actually hails from nearby Colchester, a town of less than 2,000 that’s seemingly cut out of the cornfields of western Illinois. Despite winning more than a handful of awards in high school, Hamm’s demeanor when shots went awry stood out more to Braves head coach Jeff Roche.
“[I noticed] the composure that he had, and even when things didn’t go well, even if he got a little frustrated, [he] was able to handle it and get back into playing,” Roche said. “I watch a lot of just how people handle themselves on the golf course.”
Hamm is the heir apparent to the future of Bradley’s golf team since his current teammates are a junior, four seniors and a graduate student. With the Missouri Valley Conference Championship approaching this Saturday, Hamm’s time being under the wing of his fellow Braves is coming just as fast, but he’s not scared of being looked up to as only a sophomore.
“These guys that I have now, they’ve set a high bar for me to step up to and they’ve led really well; they’ve set a good example,” Hamm said.
Hamm’s favorite golfer, perhaps unsurprisingly, is Tiger Woods but the freshman models his game after PGA Tour golfer Max Homa. While Homa has won multiple times on the Tour, what stands out most to the freshman isn’t as much about his swing or strategy.
“The way he handles himself where he keeps his head up,” Hamm said. “There’s no quit in him I guess… that’s what I go by.”
Chips in
Hamm vividly remembers one of the more frustrating moments of his life. Those feelings happen more frequently for people that play the game that many people can’t perfect in their entire lifetime.
However, an instance for Hamm at the IESA state tournament for junior high golfers in Illinois put him at a crossroads. The path that he chose at that juncture over five years ago has led him to where he is today.
“I was just getting worked [by other golfers],” Hamm said. “And I was, like, kind of getting tired of it. I was like ‘Why am I not beating these kids?’”
A competitor by nature and a three-sport athlete growing up, Hamm didn’t take losing lightly. Nevertheless, what he admittedly took more lightly before he entered Macomb High School was golf.
Hamm spent time on the course as a youth with his father at Gold Hills Golf Club in Colchester, along with playing in a few local tournaments. Although the favorite course that he’s played is Pinehurst No. 2, one wouldn’t mistake where he grew up for golf meccas like Pinehurst or other locations where the game can be played year-round.
“It’s nothing special but it definitely served his purpose for me growing up,” Hamm said about Gold Hills.
His experience at the state tournament in junior high, coupled with the realization of his athletic abilities led him to the links.
“I wanted to play football and basketball until freshman year of high school and then I realized that you have to be tall and fast and be able to jump higher if you wanted to take those sports seriously, so I figured I’d try golf,” Hamm said.
Once he put all his chips in towards golf, Hamm put his head down, worked continuously and reached the level of the kids that were beating him not long ago. Hamm led the charge of the Macomb High School golf team, which established itself as a perennial state championship qualifier under head coach Greg Duncan.
Roche followed Hamm around during Macomb’s regional championship win at his future home course of Coyote Creek Golf Club in Bartonville and their sectional title at nearby Metamora Fields in the fall of 2021. Even though Hamm’s ball-striking and scores were flashy, Roche fell in love with his lone incoming high school recruit’s more abstract qualities: his fundamentals, demeanor and continual growth.
“I tend to wait to see people blooming,” Roche said. “I love guys that kind of fall under the radar because so often, you get the ones that are recruited really heavily early on and they may or may not be peaking too early.”
Hamm-ing it up
Bradley senior golfer John Stillman recalls one of the first of many times he played alongside Hamm over the past summer at Coyote Creek. What Stillman thought would be a round where he’d establish himself over the soon-to-be Brave didn’t end the way he expected.
“This kid is coming out firing five under [in nine holes] and I’m like (blank, shocked face),” Stillman said. “This kid I mean, he just impressed me from day one. I mean, he’s nothing but class composure, willingness to learn and just a willingness to work his tail off. He’s everything that you want as part of the program and the scary thing is he has three more years here.”
Hamm started out his official Braves career in strong fashion, putting together a dazzling 71 in his first collegiate round at the Wildcat Invitational in Kansas. He didn’t have much time to bask in it before coming to another important realization in his golf career: that he’ll often play two rounds in one day.
“We’ve kind of joked about him shooting 71 [in] his first round may or may not have been a curse because you think ‘Oh, this is going to be easy’ and then you start to see like the way all these golf courses are different and there’s all kinds of people that can shoot 71,” Roche said.
Throughout his first season with the Braves, Hamm has continued to put his nose to the grindstone and establish himself as a consistent presence in the middle of Bradley’s lineup. Off the course, he and Stillman have developed a close relationship that goes beyond golf and will continue next year when the latter returns for a graduate season.
“I called him my son when he got here,” Stillman said. “We developed a really nice connection and a great friendship from the very beginning and he’s just become like a brother to me. He’s become the younger brother I’ve never had.”
Hamm has shot in the 70’s for 21 of his 30 rounds on the season, leading to one of the most impressive freshman campaigns that Roche has seen in recent memory. Getting used to playing longer, more difficult courses against stiffer competition is the reality of just about every freshman golfer in the country and inevitably leads to the same sort of frustration that Hamm had in his youth tournaments.
However, Roche compares his freshman to a duck in the water because even though there’s a lot going on under the surface, he’s hardly shown any discouragement at all.
“I would say that like the epitome of him,” Roche said. “When we were at Kennesaw State, there was a moment where that golf course was frustrating him a lot and just we talked after. But he set out to become more consistent and understanding like, what he does under pressure and all that and so far, that’s kind of what I see in Connor is just that ability to assess things.”
Nothing to lose, much to gain
One of the biggest golf tournaments of Hamm’s career is right around the corner as the Braves’ take on the MVC Tournament at Oakwood Country Club in Coal Valley, Illinois. Aside from playing the same course where his idol Woods played in one of his first professional tournaments, it’s just business as usual for Hamm, who feels like he has nothing to lose.
“Just go out there and play your game and what you’ve always done,” Hamm said. “The big thing on my mind now is not treating it like it’s something bigger than it actually is. Obviously, it’s conference for sure and it’s a big deal, but [I’m] not over-trying and getting a big head about it.”
While his booming drives may catch the eye of his competitors, Hamm plans to do what he’s done his whole golf career of letting his hours spent pounding balls on the range, perfecting his irons and meticulously practicing putts do the talking.
With a bright future ahead, Hamm hopes to let his relentless desire to get better make others notice that hard work isn’t always seen, but always pays off.
“This is the biggest opportunity I’ve had so far,” Hamm said. “I’m thankful for [Roche] taking a chance on me. There weren’t a lot of others that took a chance on me.”
