Name & Sport: Trevor Clayton, Men’s Golf
Year & Major: Senior, Economics
Hometown: Fresno, California
Trevor Clayton was chosen as our Top Dog after tying for ninth place at the St. Mary’s Invitational where he shot 5-over-par throughout the course of the three-round tournament (218). In 21st place going into the final round, the senior found his way into the top 10 after shooting a 2-under-par 69.
DG: What do you find most challenging about golf?
TC: Everything. There’s not too much easy about golf. That’s what makes it such a fun sport.
DG: How did it feel to win the Mountain West Individual Golf Championship?
TC: It was awesome. It was my first D-1 college win so it was big. Coming from a D-2 school (Cal State Stanislaus), I had won a couple times but hadn’t exactly won or broke through here, so it was cool to get my first win there.
DG: What was it like to play in the NCAA Regionals?
TC: Regionals was awesome. It was a fun experience, fun week. It was a ridiculously hard golf course. It was a good test of my game to see where I am.
DG: What is your favorite club to use?
TC: Driver. I like hitting it a long ways. It’s fun.
DG: How do you prepare for each round?
TC: Nothing too crazy. I just kind of try and stay calm, I guess. I don’t do anything out of the ordinary. I just wake up, take a shower, put my clothes on — I don’t like to make it a big deal. It’s just another day. Keep it simple.
DG: When did you first start playing golf, and how did you start?
TC: I started playing golf my sophomore year of high school. I was 15. My aunt plays golf every once in a while. She lives in Virginia, and I went and visited her after my freshman year of high school during the summer, and she had nothing for me to do and she said, ‘Oh hey, do you want to go to the golf course?’ I said, ‘Sure I guess.’ Golf’s boring. I played baseball my whole life, so I was like, ‘Oh yeah sure, whatever.’ I went there and was like, ‘Wow, this is unbelievable. Golf is so much fun.’ Every time I hit the driver, it was like hitting a home run. I was addicted instantly. I switched over from baseball to golf the next month. It was awesome.
DG: What is it like to see former Fresno State golfer Nick Watney play on the PGA Tour?
TC: It’s awesome. We played with him last year. He came to our home tournament and supported us, and we played nine holes with him. It was fun. He’s a great guy, cool guy, got to talk to him a little bit and pick his brain on a couple things. It was cool.
DG: Who is your favorite golfer and why?
TC: Rickie Fowler. He’s a cool guy. I met him a couple times. He’s awesome. I like his style. He does it his own way, and he just gets it done.
DG: In your opinion, who is the greatest golfer of all time?
TC: Tiger Woods. He dominated for so long, just the way he did and the style, it was just unbelievable. Obviously Jack Nicklaus is so close, but they’re just different eras, and it’s tough to compare them because Jack had completely different equipment, but Tiger with the competition he went up against and how he dominated the way he did.
DG: What is your favorite thing about Fresno State besides golf?
TC: I like our athletic events. I feel like a lot of my athlete friends go. We’ll go to the basketball games. We’ll go to the volleyball games. We’ll go to soccer games. Everyone goes to the football games, but I like going to other stuff too. I have a lot of friends on those teams, so it’s cool supporting them, and I feel like we have good facilities here.
DG: What does it mean to you to be a Bulldog?
TC: Just representing that red and blue. I’m from here so I always wanted to be a Bulldog so, it’s cool to transfer here and get the chance to do it. It’s awesome.