Work ethic finally pays off for Mr. Positive

Work ethic finally pays off for Mr. Positive

By Yoni Tamler

In his five years here at UCLA, Kevin Rhoads has made one thing
clear: He’s bent on improvement. Over his tenure in Westwood,
Rhoads has progressed from golf hobbyist, to petty walk-on, to the
current No. 1 starter on the 1994-95 team, with his sights set on a
career on the professional tour.

"Kevin is heads above anyone else on the team in terms of his
organization and discipline," head coach Dave Atchison said.

The son of a professional who spent seven years on the tour,
Rhoads was around golf throughout his childhood, but that didn’t
make him a virtuoso of the sport.

"Dad never pushed it on my brother and me. He let us do what we
wanted to do," Rhoads said. "That’s why when I started to take up
the game, the decision was made on my own terms."

The game remained by and large recreational for Rhoads, who,
while lettering on the high school golf team, also earned
all-league honorable mention in soccer at Campolindo High in
Moraga, Calif. However, it wasn’t until the very end of high school
when Rhoads gave the game serious consideration.

"Coming into college, I wasn’t recruited at all, and that’s
mostly because I didn’t start pursuing the game until real late. I
only became serious about golf during my senior year," Rhoads
said.

Although USC was the alma mater of his family and several of his
friends, a visit to the UCLA campus and knowledge of its prestige
were enough of an impetus for Rhoads to break away from the
tradition and become a Bruin.

The next two years would prove to be an uphill struggle. Rhoads
competed in the fall qualifying tournament for walk-ons after
limited contact with the head coach. He played unimpressively and
did not make the team. Rhoads then worked hard on his game and
entered the qualifying tournament the following year as a
sophomore. This time he came in first place, but the team
ultimately decided not to take any walk-ons. Once again, it was up
to Rhoads to prove to himself that he could make it.

"Many kids (in his situation) would have gotten discouraged and
probably quit, but he kept at it," Atchison said. "Now that he’s on
a scholarship and No. 1 ­ that’s a real success story, and it
really points to his tenacity and desire. He’s so
self-motivated."

Said Rhoads, "Devoting time is indispensable to golf. There are
certain things you can’t learn unless you’re out there every
day."

Being "out there every day" meant a continuation of his freshman
year work ethic. Rhoads drove himself over to various golf courses
every afternoon so he could "hit balls off mats and whatnot."

By fall of his third year at UCLA, Rhoads was officially on the
team, starting in two tournaments and finishing with a 79 scoring
average. But his second year on the team was equally mediocre, as
Rhoads again averaged just above a 79 scoring average over two
tournaments.

"I was on the bubble at that point, and since I wasn’t
improving, (Atchison) gave the nod to others," Rhoads said, adding
that the road to eventually starting full-time for the Bruins was
"a real gradual process."

This year’s season truly represents the pinnacle of Rhoads’
hard-earned achievement. In addition to finishing individually in
the Top 10 four times this year, he holds a 74.15 scoring average,
and last month he was listed in 26th place for NCAA division I
Player of the Year honors.

"Kevin is the most positive golfer I’ve played with," junior
teammate Eric Lohman said.

The Bruins continue to look to Rhoads for leadership, hoping
that he and rest of the team can somehow pull themselves out of a
season that so far can only be termed as disappointing.

"It’s just a matter of finding a way to utilize the talent we
have, because we’ve got really good players," Rhoads said. "For
some reason, it just hasn’t clicked."

Rhoads will graduate this spring with a degree in history and an
emphasis in business, and will then look into the prospect of
turning pro.

"Golf, in some respect, will probably be my career," Rhoads
said. "If I had the choice, I would be playing. If not, I might
teach, work for a club company or possibly manage someone. It’s
something I love doing."

Rhoads noted that if given the opportunity and proper resources,
he would want to invest at least two to five years to professional
competition. He feels that such a time period may give him the
chance to realize potential he still has.

"You can hit your prime in golf when you’re 40 years old. That’s
18 years away for me, so it’s tough to know when to call it quits,"
Rhoads said. "The great thing about golf is that you can play it
your whole life."

It’s almost paradoxical to hear Rhoads discuss the possibility
of giving up, since quitting is something he has never been
accustomed to over the past several years.

"Golf can tend to wear you down, and sometimes I focus on my
failures rather than the accomplishments," Rhoads said. "You need
to be positive."

And "positive" is the one word that resounds louder than all
others when Rhoads’ name is the topic of conversation.

"In the five years I’ve coached Kevin Rhoads, I have never heard
one negative comment come out of his mouth ­ not one. The guys
on the team call him Mr. Positive," Atchison said. "As a role model
for the team, you can’t get anyone better than Kevin."