July 14, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Simon Ward (County Monaghan, Ireland) certainly had an impressive first season at UCF in 2008-09. The junior recorded two tournament victories, helped the Knights tie for 10th at the NCAA Championship and was named the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year after taking medalist honors at the league championship.
Ward played in 12 events and ranked second on the squad with 17 rounds of par or better. In addition to earning a spot on the All-C-USA First Team, he was named to the Golf Coaches Association of America All-Southeast Region Team.
Ward, who is pursuing a master's degree in business administration after receiving his bachelor's degree in Ireland, also fared well in the classroom. He earned a spot on the C-USA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.
This summer, Ward is back home in Ireland, competing in tournaments throughout Europe. Recently, he took time to share his experiences this summer.
In June, you played well at the British Amateur Championship. What kind of experience did you gain by having some success at the tournament?
"I enjoyed playing the tournament. It was my first tournament back playing links golf, so it was pretty enjoyable. The experience was quite good. I have a full tournament schedule for the summer, which includes a lot of tournaments in Britain and France."
Have you had a lot of time to spend with family and friends now that you are back home?
"I actually haven't had much time to spend with family and friends, but I will this week as I have my first week off in eight. I am pretty happy for that."
How do you keep in touch with your UCF teammates over the summer?
"I am keeping in touch with everyone, mainly over Facebook. I have also played in a few tournaments with Nuno (Henriques) in Britain (British Amateur and European Team Championship)."
What have you been doing with any free time this summer?
"To be honest, I haven't had much free time. For this week off, I will probably spend a few nights with friends and try to catch up on some much needed rest by watching sports on TV."
How is the weather back home compared to the temperatures here in Florida? Have you enjoyed golfing in the cooler temperatures?
"The weather over here has actually been unreal, like 80 degrees most days. There have been a few really windy days, but overall, the weather has been shorts and a t-shirt weather."
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