May 29--What defines a great team?
How about this: Nick Hardy was low man at the Big Ten championships, but he rates as Illinois' No. 4 golfer.
And how about this: The Illini are tight enough that during certain spirited practice sessions, they talk trash about each other's girlfriends and mamas.
"It gets a little personal; that's what's fun about it," said Hardy, a Glenbrook North alumnus. "You laugh it off."
Said coach Mike Small of the chatter: "It's all in good nature and all for concentration purposes. You have to be mentally tough (to take it). The guys get creative, but they don't go for the bone."
No, but they are competitive animals on the golf course and will try to prove that again at the NCAA championships, which begin Friday at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla. The top eight teams advance to matches after 54 holes of stroke play.
Making the NCAAs is nothing new for the third-ranked Illini, who join USC, UCLA and Texas as the only schools to make eight consecutive trips.
"We're a very competitive bunch and our culture fosters that," Small said. "Our guys pull for each other, but from (Nos.) 1 tee to 18 green, you want to win yourself."
And win they do. Brian Campbell, a senior from California, won the NCAA Noblesville Regional this month with a final-round 65. Wisconsin native Charlie Danielson and Thomas Detry, from Belgium, were co-champions at the Boilermaker Invitational in April. (Detry won two additional events.)
And Dylan Meyer, a freshman, like Hardy, won the Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields to open the fall season.
"It's fun being on a loaded team," Hardy said. "You can learn from three upperclassmen, three studs."
Hardy, who reached the semifinals of last summer's prestigious Western Amateur, said he expected a little more from himself in his freshman season. He has beaten par 11 times in 33 competitive rounds but broken 70 just three times, twice at the Big Ten championships.
Hardy notoriously is tough on himself, muttering to himself after swings that don't meet his satisfaction.
"The coaches say: 'If I was my own swing coach, I would fire me or leave right away,'" he said.
Said Small: "My job is to lighten him up a little, maybe crack a joke. He tends to forget how good he is or how good we're doing (as a team). Reaffirm: 'Dude, everything is OK. Enjoy the moment.'"
Hardy has put on about 15 pounds since arriving on campus last fall and increased his clubhead speed to 114 mph.
During rounds he takes deep breaths and performs jaw exercises, saying, "I tell myself: Slow down. Walk slower. I never thought about how facial muscles can affect your game, but if you loosen your jaw up, you will feel more calm."
And if you catch him chewing gum on the course, it's a nod to his all-time favorite athlete.
"I know MJ and lots of basketball players did it," he said.
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
