Tyler Severin can't imagine anything better than being on a golf course 10 hours a day.

I'm with him.

While we are in the same size range—give or take 30 pounds (my 30)—and agree on how to spend our free time, there is a difference. He's on the Cowboy golf team, and I spend my time in the rough.

Severin and his Cowboy teammates are in Tucson, Ariz., this weekend for the Mountain West Golf Championship.  There are two rounds scheduled today and one tomorrow at Tucson National.

During the regular spring season, Tyler was outstanding for the Cowboys, earning three Top 25 finishes.  

But, like all of us with this game of golf, he went through a stretch during his freshman season when he was tussling with his confidence.

As a matter of fact, during the spring of 2019, he finished last at the Prestige Golf Tournament, hosted by the University of California, Davis, at La Quinta, Calif.

"Our Cowboy Desert Classic (Palm Desert, Calif.) was the very next week following the Prestige," recalls Wyoming Head Coach Joe Jensen.  "After the Prestige, I was debating as to whether we should play Tyler in the Desert Classic. But I never saw one sign that he was down or feeling sorry for himself so I decided to go with him.  

"Three days later he won the Desert.  He won it with grit, consistency and determination.  It was a remarkable comeback. He never looked back."

That was obviously huge for him.  "That was the turning point for me," Tyler says.  "It was beyond amazing and really helped with the confidence piece.  I wouldn't say that my game has changed all that much, but my mental approach certainly has."

Severin has grown into a very consistent player for the Cowboys because he's worked very hard at that mental aspect which, as we know, is so critical to success in the game.  "I've really appreciated how hard he's worked at his game.  He's made himself a better player because he is driven to be better. He now has the ability to sweep away a bad shot and move on.  He's been able to keep himself in a bubble of confidence.

"He's a fighter," Jensen continues, "and that's contagious.  He's not real vocal, but his teammates know he's not going to quit on them.  They never have to worry about Tyler, they know he'll be there."

Tyler is very proficient in all phases of the game, according to his head coach.  He's an excellent ball-striker, very solid with his irons and an outstanding putter.  While he doesn't hit it as long as some of the other guys on the team, he's as accurate as any.  He also has that intangible, he is a tremendous competitor.

"I am playing better, Tyler admits.  "I took last semester and really worked on myself mentally.  I credit John Murdoch (former Cowboy player and grad assistant coach) with helping me on the mental part of the game. Since I wasn't the longest player out there, he convinced me to play to my strengths.  I needed to identify those strengths and concentrate on improving them. 

"What are my strengths?" he continues, "probably accuracy and putting.  The best part of my game is putting I would say. "I can bury a 20-footer now and then.  I can also hit it pretty straight. I guess I would describe my game, though, as 'gritty'."

Severin was basically raised on the Ptarmigan golf course near Ft. Collins.  "We would spend 10 hours a day playing on that course," he says.  "What could be better than spending 10 hours a day on a golf course?  That's what we did."  

By 'we', Severan is talking about two of his best friends, A.J. Ott and Dillon Stewart.  That trio spent the summers playing together on Ptarmigan.  Ironically, all three are currently on D-I golf scholarships.  Ott plays at Colorado State and Stewart competes for Oklahoma State, currently the No. 1 team in the country. 

"Ott is a couple of years older than me, and I have learned a lot from him," Tyler says. "We run into each other at a lot of tournaments. I always enjoy seeing him.  We played in the same group before which is a lot of fun.  We are both very competitive, and we try our hardest to beat each other."  

It was probably destiny that Tyler got into golf.  His father, Bill, is a scratch golfer who is quite a stick in his own right had some influence there. He played collegiate basketball, but loves the golf game.  Tyler also played basketball as well as baseball and football.  "I had a couple of concussions from football so that was out.  My size wasn't optimum for basketball, although I loved shooting three's, and I wasn't as fond of baseball.  It turned out that I loved golf more than anything."

Tyler shares the excitement of the conference tournament with his teammates.  "I feel really good about our team," he says.  "I think the phrase is we are 'trending upward'. We got off to a slow start as a team.  But we have been playing better and better and I think we are all comfortable that we can play well consistently.  I know this, you couldn't ask for a better team atmosphere than we have.  It boils down to five best friends playing golf together.  I think our team dynamic is very special."

His head coach agrees.  "This group has really worked hard," Jensen says.  There's no negative energy with them.  This is one of the closest teams I've had here.  I believe we have the potential to finish in the top half.  We have beaten a number of league schools during the regular season.  We can be in the conversation, but it will take a supreme effort from everyone.  We are capable.

"Certainly Tyler is headed in the right direction," Jensen continues, "and the conference tournament is a great next step for him."

Severin and his mates also are committed to their training program established by Pat Shelby who is the team's sports performance director. "I think people would be surprised at the training regimen that we go through.  We are very fortunate to have Pat, he has been terrific for us.  Like other athletes we are committed to weight training, to eating right, and taking care of ourselves.  

"When you are playing 36 holes of competitive golf in one day, you better be in shape," he continues. "We're out there for 13 hours with a lot of mental pressure.  It's not as easy as everyone thinks it is.  We have been playing that format this spring—two 18-hole rounds on Day 1 and 18 holes on Day 2—so we are physically and mentally ready for it. 

"We're saying why not us?"