Maryland golfer Tom Harris had never been to the United States before, but he had always wanted to make the trek across the Atlantic Ocean.
Then, in 2011, the Englishman got his chance.
After Harris showcased his talent and skill at the Boys Amateur Championship in the United Kingdom, former Terps golf assistant coach John Scott Rattan invited the teenager to visit College Park. Over Halloween weekend, Harris hung around campus, meeting those involved with the program and celebrating the fall holiday.
“The first time I came to America was my official visit, so they paid for my flights,” Harris said. “I was like ‘Wow, I love the USA.'”
He had met with other American universities, but his relationship with those schools never grew as serious as it did with Maryland. And while he hadn’t planned to attend a university in the U.S., he ended up committing to the Terps.
Now in his senior season, Harris has capped off his career with the type of success that eluded him since his freshman campaign, when he earned three top-10 finishes.
His competitive drive and work with personal golf coach Jim Payne helped Harris notch three more top-10 results with an additional finishes just outside the top-10 this year. He also won the Janney VCU Shootout this past fall and the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate in early April.
“He’s just been a consistent force all year for us on the course,” coach Jason Rodenhaver said. “I’m happy he got the chance to win twice and show off his skill this year.”
Before joining the Terps, some of Harris’ fondest athletic memories came from intense battles with his youngest brother, Billy, in both tennis and golf.
“Plenty of trash talk,” Harris said. “Maybe even physical at times.”
Billy, who later became a professional tennis player, eventually went on to dominate Harris, though, so Harris quit tennis when he was 13 years old.
He opted to take golf, a sport that ran in the family, more seriously.
Harris’ two cousins played at Florida State and Flagler College, respectively, and his grandfather was also an avid golfer.
“I’ve got family members all over the place,” Harris said. “But I guess the competitiveness came from them and my grandparents. It was just a competitive streak that was brought through.”
And since coming to College Park, Rodenhaver said Harris is one of most competitive golfers on the Terps team.
That attribute helped him thrive on the course as a freshman, but his struggles mounted during his next two years with the program.
In 19 tournaments, Harris managed two top-10 finishes.
His junior campaign came to a disappointing end, as he shot a +20 at the Big Ten Championship. The Terps finished 10th out of 14 teams at the event.
“It is all mental,” Harris said. “Coming down the last hole, if you’re playing well, that’s the mental strength you get from practice and your pre-shot routine.”
After his junior year, Harris returned to England to work with Payne. As an experienced coach who also works with top-100 golfers Tommy Fleetwood and Jamie Donaldson, Payne helped boost Harris’ confidence and alter his swing.
Harris and Payne didn’t watch much film or utilize the body trackers that some other golfers prefer, instead focusing more on Harris’ mental preparation and fundamentals of his swing. Payne also assisted Harris with his drive, which the senior admitted was his biggest weakness.
These changes propelled Harris to become the Terps second-best golfer this season behind sophomore David Kocher.
Both of the golfers will represent the Terps in the NCAA Regionals from May 16-18.
But Harris’ goal has always been to play professionally — whether it be on the PGA or European Tour — and he’ll set his sights on those aspirations after graduating in a few weeks.
He plans to return to his home country soon after and immediately start competing.
Harris has already registered for the St Andrews Links Trophy, beginning June 3, and the British Amateur a week later in Wales. He plans to play in other amateur golf tournaments throughout the summer, too. If he’s able to succeed in these events, Harris hopes the selection panel for the English national team will choose him to join the squad.
“The USA doesn’t actually have a national team for amateurs, but all other European, Canadian, Australian teams do have these nationals teams,” Harris said. “The aim is to go pro, but that year of experience is so important because they have coaches for everything.”
Harris does have experience going against professional golfers, as he once played with Fleetwood, who holds the No. 98 ranking in the world.
Driving with Payne’s fellow disciple, Harris realized he’s capable of competing at that level.
“They’re not crazy better,” Harris said. “Everyone has their good weeks and their bad weeks you don’t hear about. It’s just nice to know they’re not that far away.”
And Rodenhaver, despite seeing his veteran struggle at times, has faith in Harris as well.
“He absolutely has the talent to do it,” Rodenhaver said. “It’s up to him, if he works at it hard enough. There’s a world of possibility in front of him.”
