Preston Richardson’s quest to make the Price Cutter Charity Championship didn’t start off as planned. “I got some bad bounces leading into the second and third hole,” said Richardson. “I fluctuated around even, one over, one under.”
That’s when the Miller High School grad decided to switch up his approach. “I decided to give it as much of a run as I could playing aggressive on the second nine,” he said. “I hit a lot of good shots. Put myself in perfect position on almost every hole to birdie.”
The back nine started off great. With Richardson nailing a pair of birdies. But he managed only one birdie on the final seven holes, saving par on the other six.
“Just had some putts that were right there, just didn’t fall,” he said.
Richardson shot a two under 69, just three shots shy of qualifying. And while he works to reach his full potential as a golfer, the current Western Carolina golfer continues to improve his consistency. “I have a streak going right now,” he said. “Every competitive round I’ve had this summer is under par.”
Add that to his list of goals this year. “I’m going to try keep going,” he said. “Every competitive round under par this summer going into next year.”
And why doubt him? The self-taught scratch golfer learned the game by watching YouTube videos. And now he’s brought in help to hopefully qualify for this tournament next year. “I actually now have a swing coach who caddy’s on tour,” said Richardson. “I constantly send him video and get feedback.”
But some things never change. “I still constantly watch YouTube,” said Richardson. “Constantly watch Tiger highlights. Because he’s the best to ever do it. And I try to mimic him as much as possible.”
