Whether our sports members are from the United States or are international students, there’s no denying the camaraderie and hard work of our Winthrop athletes in sports that require patience and skill.
According to Winthrop Athletics, a junior business management major and Winthrop Men’s Golf athlete Ryan Tattan helped play a key role in placing top 10 in Tee 9 during the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate Golf Tournament on Oct. 22 in Powells Point, North Carolina, with Winthrop placing in eighth.
Originally from Essex, England, Tattan grew up with an interest in golf with the help of his father and prior experience before attending Winthrop University.
“Although golf wasn’t my main sport all my life, I’ve been interested in golf since I could walk thanks to my dad. Dad always had videos of Tiger Woods playing in the living room when I was younger and I was always in awe of him,” Tattan said. “I only started playing golf seriously at the age of 13 and attended a school in Kansas City for my freshman year before attending Winthrop.”
Playing numerous different sports while growing up helped him establish a passion for working with his team during matches and finding golf a new experience when it came to playing in tournaments as a freshman and sophomore.
“Growing up I always played team sports. Soccer, Gaelic football and hurling always took precedence over golf growing up, and I also represented my school in rugby,” Tattan said. “These experiences have made me really appreciate the team environment at Winthrop, as golf being an individual game I really miss this aspect of team sports.”
Being an international student, Tattan has been able to relate the experiences he had of growing up with different cultures interacting together and how it applies to Winthrop’s plan of incorporating diversity and inclusivity to its athletic department.
“England is extremely different to the US. Everything is smaller and so much more compact. London is extremely diverse, so I was constantly mixing with people from other cultures and countries. This helped me immensely when coming to America and meeting new people,” Tattan said.
One of the things that surprised Tattan about Winthrop University was how welcoming the members of the men’s golf team were when he started out, especially when meeting with local and international students on the team for golf tournaments during the season.
“Meeting my teammates from all across the world and across America has been an experience I’ll never forget and one I’m forever grateful for,” Tattan said. “Representing the university at each tournament with my teammates and best friends here at Winthrop is memorable each in their own respect and for their own reasons.”
Throughout his time so far at Winthrop University, Tattan has participated in multiple golf tournaments including the 2018 Kansas Wesleyan Invitational, where he had the lowest round of his college career with a 68, and, this season, the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate, where he made an eagle and twelve birdies.
Being part of the team has allowed Tattan to improve on his mentality when playing golf.
“My mentality has improved immensely. Golf is such a mental sport at college level, and my coaches at Winthrop have really helped me develop my mentality and improve as a player,” Tattan said.
With the next and final tournament of 2019 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina on Nov. 3-5, Tattan is thankful for the opportunities that Winthrop and his teammates have given him, with a new perspective of golf and improvements in the sport.
“It gives me the opportunity to play high level golf as well as combining it with a high level education,” Tattan said. “Playing high level sports surrounded by my teammates and coaches have helped me develop many skills both on and off the golf course that I will be forever grateful for.”
Photo courtesy of Winthrop Athletics
