Jeff Hogan is a native of Waterbury, Connecticut and currently serves as the captain of the Fordham golf team. His season was highlighted by a tie for 18th at the Lehigh Invitational. Despite a few disappointing outings for the Rams this year, it is clear that Hogan is dedicated to his leadership role and optimistic about the future of the squad.
The Fordham Ram: You’ve been playing golf for a long time. What made you develop a passion for the sport?
Jeff Hogan: Definitely my dad. He’s played for a long time. I grew up playing with my brother too, so I was always competing against him. But, definitely playing the game itself. It’s not like other sports where you can win at it; it’s more like you just keep trying to get better and better—it had that kind of appeal to me.
TFR: Tell me a little about your recruitment process. What ultimately made you choose to come to Fordham?
JH: It was actually really last minute. It was like three weeks before I had to make a decision. The academics were definitely the deciding factor for me. Of the other schools I was applying to, I thought Fordham was a better fit for myself in terms of a career after golf, so it really came down to that.
TFR: In six full field events this season, Fordham golf has two ninth- place finishes, a 10th, an 11th, a 12th and a fourth, which came just recently. How does that performance look in relation to your preseason expectations for the team?
JH: I think [the scores] were a little higher than expected. We’re definitely a younger team. We have a bunch of young guys that are gonna carry this program forward for the next few years. It’s good to see. We lost a couple seniors last year, and the year before we lost a lot.
TFR: What do you feel was the best part of your game this fall? What are you looking to improve on as you look towards the spring?
JH: I’m usually a good driver of the ball, but my short game is pretty good for not playing a lot this summer. My iron game was god-awful, so there’s one thing I can work on, it’s definitely that.
TFR: Do you have any specific goals for the team as you head towards the spring season?
JH: The spring is more of a sprint than the fall. We only have like four events before A-10s, so we’re definitely trying to get ready for that and get our swings ready. If we could finish in the top half of A-10s, that would be a huge deal for us.
TFR: You’re the captain of the team. How do you think you fulfill that leadership role?
JH: I’m not really a boisterous leader, but I think in terms of the way to act on and off the golf course, I think I’m pretty good at that. Just showing the younger kids what they should be like on and off the golf course. I definitely want to create some chemistry with the guys. It’s tough with the freshmen coming in, but we try to do a lot of things together. I don’t want to be one of those seniors that doesn’t hang out with the freshmen.
TFR: Out of your entire Fordham golf career, is there any moment that sticks out for you?
JH: We won three times my freshman year. I was on all three of those traveling teams, so that was a big deal. We’d only won three times before that, so adding another three was pretty cool. Just having Brian [Engstrom] and Ben [Alcorn] on the team, we came in together as freshmen, and they’re two of my best friends. The camaraderie with those guys would definitely be a highlight of my time here.
TFR: What was your favorite tournament to play in so far during your senior year?
JH: Definitely [the MacDonald Cup at] Yale. I got to play with my brother that tournament. He plays for St. Edward’s. It was a really cool event. We got paired together, and it was pretty cool to play with him.
TFR: What are your plans for after graduation?
JH: I’m a finance major. I want to do something in wealth management. I have a job next year in wealth management, but I would love to work in the city. The job’s not in the city, so I’d love to get something there.
