SE: Putting, Maturity Pave Way for Massimino’s Consistency for K-State Golf
Apr 19, 2019 | Men's Golf, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
The story of how senior Roland Massimino became Mr. Consistent for K-State men's golf started sometime last offseason. Before his final season as a Wildcat began, Massimino looked back on his best rounds as a Wildcat.
He thought about his 5-under par 67 as a sophomore to open the 2017 Tiger Invitational, which he followed with a pair of 71s to finish tied for fourth. And his 4-under par 68 about a month later to close the 2017 Hawkeye Invitational, where he finished tied for sixth.
The more Massimino thought about those rounds, the clearer it became.
"My best rounds I've played in college are the best putting rounds I've had," he said. "I've had great ball-striking rounds that I shoot 72 or 73, but I've never had a great putting round where I've shot over par, so it's, like, 'If I can bottle that up and have that every round…'"
Massimino trailed off at this thought. At the actual time of reflection, however, he made a decision to put putting before everything else. He switched up some drills and, more than anything, spent more time on the practice green.
"I've probably practiced putting more than I've practiced ball striking, which used to be the total opposite," he said. "I've kind of been doing different things that helped, but it's more of just putting the time in. I just came to realize that it's the most important thing. I guess it's subjective, but, personally, I think if I can putt well, I'll play well."
The stats are not subjective.
Massimino's 71.52 scoring average this season is not only almost 2.5 strokes better than his career average before this season, it's also a hair better than the school-record mark (71.59) held by current PGA Tour card holder Robert Streb.
He also holds a team-leading six top-20 finishes this season in seven events. His worst finish so far was when he tied for 27th with a team-best 2-under par 208 at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate. He has also contributed 97.62 percent of his rounds (20.5 of 21) toward his team's score. Only two other Wildcats (Daniel Wood and Mitchell Gregson) since the 2003-04 season have held higher such percentages.
"He's just been steady as a rock," K-State head coach Grant Robbins said, who credited Massimino's improvement with the short stick as one of the biggest reasons why. "His short game has gotten a lot better."
K-State tracks a number of statistics for its players to reference. One of them is scrambling percentage, how often a player gets up and down for par when he misses a green in regulation, which Robbins said is a stat Massimino has "gotten really gotten good at."
Another is strokes gained-putting. In a nutshell, it measures how many strokes a player gains (or loses) on the greens, relative to the field. Massimino leads his team this season in that stat, a 180 from past years.
"My strokes gained-putting two or three years ago used to be like negative-two, negative-three every round, so you're losing shots where you shouldn't be," Massimino said, "and now it's consistently positive."
"That definitely leads to consistency," Robbins added.
Maturity does as well. Massimino and his coach agreed this was another area the Lumberville, Pennsylvania native has improved.
Robbins referenced the first two tournaments this fall as evidence.
Massimino missed the first one because, when the team held a qualifying practice round, he let a big lead early turn into a spot outside the team's top five. In the next tournament, the Maui Jim Intercollegiate, Massimino got a spot in the lineup and opened it with a career-best 5-under par 65.
"He took advantage of the opportunity he was given," Robbins said, "and he's been very consistent for us, week in and week out."
Since his return to the lineup, Massimino has played in every tournament for K-State and finished tied for 19th, tied for 16th, tied for eighth, tied for 11th, tied for 19thand tied for 18th. He's posted zero rounds above 75 this season, compared to seven last season, eight as a sophomore and five (out of 12 total rounds) his freshman year.
This is where Massimino believes his mental maturity has taken control.
He said he's learned to eliminate "stupid mistakes," such as trying to make a "hero shot" out of a bad situation, which often leads to double bogeys. This season, he leads his team with the fewest double bogeys.
"If you're in a bad spot, you love par but making bogey will not kill you," he said, as K-State plays at the Hawkeye Invitational on Saturday and Sunday in Iowa City, Iowa. "You know you're going to make bogeys. It's how you bounce back from it."
Massimino pointed to the Seminole Intercollegiate in February as an example of growth.
In it, he posted two 1-under par 71s and finished tied for 16th. In the second 71 round, Massimino bogeyed two of his first three holes and sat at 2-over par with seven holes to play. Instead of letting it snowball into a big number like it might have before, he closed with three birdies and four pars to turn a "mediocre round into a good round."
"Not getting too high or low emotionally is important," he said. "Trying to be level-headed, I think I do a pretty good job of that on the course."
All of it has led to his best season yet. The fact that K-State, as a team, has finished in the top three in its last four tournaments – highlighted by the program's first title since 2012 – has allowed Massimino to enjoy his success even more.
"It's been awesome, personally, being as consistent as I've been, but to have the team play well and have yourself play a solid tournament, too, is a cool thing," he said. "At the end of the day it's about where our team finishes."
The story of how senior Roland Massimino became Mr. Consistent for K-State men's golf started sometime last offseason. Before his final season as a Wildcat began, Massimino looked back on his best rounds as a Wildcat.
He thought about his 5-under par 67 as a sophomore to open the 2017 Tiger Invitational, which he followed with a pair of 71s to finish tied for fourth. And his 4-under par 68 about a month later to close the 2017 Hawkeye Invitational, where he finished tied for sixth.
The more Massimino thought about those rounds, the clearer it became.
"My best rounds I've played in college are the best putting rounds I've had," he said. "I've had great ball-striking rounds that I shoot 72 or 73, but I've never had a great putting round where I've shot over par, so it's, like, 'If I can bottle that up and have that every round…'"
Massimino trailed off at this thought. At the actual time of reflection, however, he made a decision to put putting before everything else. He switched up some drills and, more than anything, spent more time on the practice green.
"I've probably practiced putting more than I've practiced ball striking, which used to be the total opposite," he said. "I've kind of been doing different things that helped, but it's more of just putting the time in. I just came to realize that it's the most important thing. I guess it's subjective, but, personally, I think if I can putt well, I'll play well."
The stats are not subjective.
Massimino's 71.52 scoring average this season is not only almost 2.5 strokes better than his career average before this season, it's also a hair better than the school-record mark (71.59) held by current PGA Tour card holder Robert Streb.
He also holds a team-leading six top-20 finishes this season in seven events. His worst finish so far was when he tied for 27th with a team-best 2-under par 208 at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate. He has also contributed 97.62 percent of his rounds (20.5 of 21) toward his team's score. Only two other Wildcats (Daniel Wood and Mitchell Gregson) since the 2003-04 season have held higher such percentages.
"He's just been steady as a rock," K-State head coach Grant Robbins said, who credited Massimino's improvement with the short stick as one of the biggest reasons why. "His short game has gotten a lot better."
K-State tracks a number of statistics for its players to reference. One of them is scrambling percentage, how often a player gets up and down for par when he misses a green in regulation, which Robbins said is a stat Massimino has "gotten really gotten good at."
Another is strokes gained-putting. In a nutshell, it measures how many strokes a player gains (or loses) on the greens, relative to the field. Massimino leads his team this season in that stat, a 180 from past years.
"My strokes gained-putting two or three years ago used to be like negative-two, negative-three every round, so you're losing shots where you shouldn't be," Massimino said, "and now it's consistently positive."
"That definitely leads to consistency," Robbins added.
Maturity does as well. Massimino and his coach agreed this was another area the Lumberville, Pennsylvania native has improved.
Robbins referenced the first two tournaments this fall as evidence.
Massimino missed the first one because, when the team held a qualifying practice round, he let a big lead early turn into a spot outside the team's top five. In the next tournament, the Maui Jim Intercollegiate, Massimino got a spot in the lineup and opened it with a career-best 5-under par 65.
"He took advantage of the opportunity he was given," Robbins said, "and he's been very consistent for us, week in and week out."
Since his return to the lineup, Massimino has played in every tournament for K-State and finished tied for 19th, tied for 16th, tied for eighth, tied for 11th, tied for 19thand tied for 18th. He's posted zero rounds above 75 this season, compared to seven last season, eight as a sophomore and five (out of 12 total rounds) his freshman year.
This is where Massimino believes his mental maturity has taken control.
He said he's learned to eliminate "stupid mistakes," such as trying to make a "hero shot" out of a bad situation, which often leads to double bogeys. This season, he leads his team with the fewest double bogeys.
"If you're in a bad spot, you love par but making bogey will not kill you," he said, as K-State plays at the Hawkeye Invitational on Saturday and Sunday in Iowa City, Iowa. "You know you're going to make bogeys. It's how you bounce back from it."
Massimino pointed to the Seminole Intercollegiate in February as an example of growth.
In it, he posted two 1-under par 71s and finished tied for 16th. In the second 71 round, Massimino bogeyed two of his first three holes and sat at 2-over par with seven holes to play. Instead of letting it snowball into a big number like it might have before, he closed with three birdies and four pars to turn a "mediocre round into a good round."
"Not getting too high or low emotionally is important," he said. "Trying to be level-headed, I think I do a pretty good job of that on the course."
All of it has led to his best season yet. The fact that K-State, as a team, has finished in the top three in its last four tournaments – highlighted by the program's first title since 2012 – has allowed Massimino to enjoy his success even more.
"It's been awesome, personally, being as consistent as I've been, but to have the team play well and have yourself play a solid tournament, too, is a cool thing," he said. "At the end of the day it's about where our team finishes."
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