Focused Moore Leaving Everyone In His Wake

By Stuart Hall

Mamaroneck, N.Y. - Ryan Moore is as close to a metronome as can be found on the golf course. His swing is measured, as consistent off the tee as on the green. His emotions are just as in check.

During his U.S. Amateur Championship semifinal match against Jeff Overton Saturday at Winged Foot Country Club's West Course, Moore was joking with caddie just off the green at No. 5. He was down two holes at the time.

Ryan Moore follows through on his drive on No. 7. (John Mummert/USGA)

"He's just a very patient child," said Roxane Moore, his mother.

That patience was rewarded when he rolled in a 30-foot putt for birdie to win the par-3 13th hole and take his first lead en route to a 2-and-1 victory. Moore advances to Sunday's 36-hole against the winner of Chris Nallen and Luke List, a match that was suspended on the 16th just seconds after Moore finished off Overton due to thunderstorms.

Moore is having as impressive an amateur winning streak as any player ever. He won the Mountain West Conference Championship and then the NCAA Championships to close out the collegiate season. Then he won the U.S. Amateur Public Links, the Sahalee Players Championship and the Western Amateur. Now he's on the verge of winning the U.S. Amateur.

"If he goes on to win this, he's basically winning all of the major [amateur] tournaments in everybody's eyes," said Overton. "It's kind of hard to believe, but at the same time, he is basically the only player that has every part of his game going right now. There's not a weakness in his game, and his putting is phenomenal."

With each passing win this week, Moore's responses to media questions about his game have been consistent, if not vanilla. One shot at a time - which is inscribed on his glove -- stay in the moment, control only what he can control.

"He's not much of a talker," said Roxane Moore of the middle of her three children.

After his win over Overton, Moore was asked if he has always been as composed as he appears. And in a rare moment of levity, Moore joked: "I'm pretty rowdy and obnoxious, actually. You don't see it in me, but it's there."

There really is more to Moore than he has been letting on, though.

Roxane Moore says the intensity to win has always been simmering in Ryan since he was a child. In the spring of his freshman year in high school, Moore helped the school's baseball team to a state runner-up finish and then was the medalist runner-up at the state golf tournament. Soon thereafter, Moore decided to concentrate solely on golf.

No, Jeff Overton wasn't doing his flamingo imitation Saturday. He reacts to a missed putt on the third green. (John Mummert/USGA)

Moore would not trade any of his previous five wins for a U.S. Amateur title, because "he wants to win them all," she said.

Mark Guadagnoli, who serves as a mental training consultant for the University of Nevada-Las Vegas golf team, describes Moore's emotions as being "flat-line until there's a lot of pressure and then he gets really excited. He loves pressure more than any golfer I've seen. It's not excitement as in anxious; it's excitement as in 'This is cool to see if I can pull off this shot.' So it's very focused. He's got incredible focus to begin with, but when he gets in those pressure situations, it becomes laser focused."

For example, he was 3 down with five holes to play against Australian Aron Price in Wednesday's third round. In that situation, Guardagnoli said Moore's demeanor late in the match became quieter and more focused. And Moore, instead of feeling like he needed to pull of a miracle, just stuck to his game of hitting fairways and greens. Over the final five holes, Moore made three pars and two bogeys - and won 1 up on the 18th.

"He perceives pressure as expectations," said Guadagnoli, who has worked with Moore for the past four years. "He always expects that he is going to win."

Those expectations have grown with each passing title this summer. Sunday will be much of the same.

Over the grueling 36-hole match play final there are sure to be ebbs and flows of emotions and lead swings. Moore is prepared. If he is to win, he'd become the first player in history to win the U.S. Amateur Public Links and U.S. Amateur in the same year.

"He wants his caddie to talk about anything but golf between shots," said Roxane Moore, explaining that her son's caddie this week, Kirk Brown, is her son's college roommate and good at keeping the conversation diverted.

"Ryan has this incredible ability to step into the zone and then step back in," said Guadagnoli. "It's a matter of being in control, and he's as in control as anybody I've dealt with."

Guadagnoli also said that Moore is exceptional at being able to use energy efficiently. There will be no exulting fist pumps or fits of frustration. Instead a pivotal shot, like the birdie putt on the 13th against Overton, will get nothing more than Moore extending his hand and giving it a small tremor. Such a gesture translates into "nice shot, but shake it off, move on to the next one."

Earlier in the week Moore kept saying he was not going to allow himself to think about Sunday until Sunday arrived. When reminded of that Saturday, Moore simply joked, "It's not Sunday yet."

Moore would be getting too far ahead of himself.

After all, it's one shot at a time, one day at a time.

Stuart Hall is a writer for the Golf Press Association.