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Helias' Moody to join Tigers
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By David Owen
sports@newstribune.com
For the past four years, Brad Moody has made a name for himself on area golf courses.
Now the Helias senior is taking aim at moving into a bigger world, as Moody signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play golf for the University of Missouri next year.
“I look forward to taking my game to the next level and hopefully to succeed,” Moody said.
After an amazing junior year with the Crusaders, Moody started drawing attention from seven universities from around the country. But he finally settled on Missouri.
“Collegiate golf is very competitive wherever you go,” Moody said. “As far as Mizzou, they've got great facilities with their new indoor training facility. And with Old Hawthorne opening up last summer, it was an easy decision when it came down to it.
“They've got a great past in golf, but they've been struggling as of late. That happens, but I'm hoping next year we can turn it around and do well.”
Moody will join Missouri's top recruit, Jace Long of Dixon, to add to a young team that features freshmen Chris Johnson from Hickman, Will Hogan from Ozark and Tyler Hills from Poplar Bluff.
Last year, Johnson tied for second (69-79-148) in the Class 4 state championship, Hills tied for eighth (75-77-152) and Hogan finished 10th (82-71-153).
“The team is very young and maybe that's what the program needs, some new faces and new games,” Moody said. “With Jace coming in, the program is looking very good.”
Helias golf coach Dan Roling said Moody's transition from high school golf to collegiate golf should be a smooth one. But it's not because of Moody's abilities on the golf course, it's because of his character.
“Several coaches have called me in the past, wanting to talk about Brad, but before we started talking about his playing ability, we talked about his character first,” Roling said. “His character, to me, is by far his best attribute.
“If you have character, the game of golf will come to you. With his skill level, work ethic and consistency, I really look for him to excel, not only at the high school level but at the collegiate level, too.”
Moody took a big step last year qualifying for his first state meet, but it wasn't the performance he was looking for at the two-day event.
“Honestly, I don't even remember what I placed last year. That's how disappointed I was,” Moody said. “I was a much better player than where I finished.”
Moody tied for 36th the state championships. He opened up with a 10-over 81, before finishing with a 78 for a total of 159.
“It was a tough pill to swallow,” Moody said. “I went in there with such high hopes, and to play so poorly and see some of my buddies play well, it was difficult.
“But I improved quite a bit over the summer, and I'm looking to win at state.”
He's hoping the rest of the Crusaders will be with him this year.
“We had a strong team last year, but we didn't play well when we needed to the most,” Moody said. “But that's all a part of learning. This year, we have a very strong chance to go to state. Everyone is very positive and confident in their abilities. Hopefully, we can get to state and win a state championship.”
Now the Helias senior is taking aim at moving into a bigger world, as Moody signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play golf for the University of Missouri next year.
“I look forward to taking my game to the next level and hopefully to succeed,” Moody said.
After an amazing junior year with the Crusaders, Moody started drawing attention from seven universities from around the country. But he finally settled on Missouri.
“Collegiate golf is very competitive wherever you go,” Moody said. “As far as Mizzou, they've got great facilities with their new indoor training facility. And with Old Hawthorne opening up last summer, it was an easy decision when it came down to it.
“They've got a great past in golf, but they've been struggling as of late. That happens, but I'm hoping next year we can turn it around and do well.”
Moody will join Missouri's top recruit, Jace Long of Dixon, to add to a young team that features freshmen Chris Johnson from Hickman, Will Hogan from Ozark and Tyler Hills from Poplar Bluff.
Last year, Johnson tied for second (69-79-148) in the Class 4 state championship, Hills tied for eighth (75-77-152) and Hogan finished 10th (82-71-153).
“The team is very young and maybe that's what the program needs, some new faces and new games,” Moody said. “With Jace coming in, the program is looking very good.”
Helias golf coach Dan Roling said Moody's transition from high school golf to collegiate golf should be a smooth one. But it's not because of Moody's abilities on the golf course, it's because of his character.
“Several coaches have called me in the past, wanting to talk about Brad, but before we started talking about his playing ability, we talked about his character first,” Roling said. “His character, to me, is by far his best attribute.
“If you have character, the game of golf will come to you. With his skill level, work ethic and consistency, I really look for him to excel, not only at the high school level but at the collegiate level, too.”
Moody took a big step last year qualifying for his first state meet, but it wasn't the performance he was looking for at the two-day event.
“Honestly, I don't even remember what I placed last year. That's how disappointed I was,” Moody said. “I was a much better player than where I finished.”
Moody tied for 36th the state championships. He opened up with a 10-over 81, before finishing with a 78 for a total of 159.
“It was a tough pill to swallow,” Moody said. “I went in there with such high hopes, and to play so poorly and see some of my buddies play well, it was difficult.
“But I improved quite a bit over the summer, and I'm looking to win at state.”
He's hoping the rest of the Crusaders will be with him this year.
“We had a strong team last year, but we didn't play well when we needed to the most,” Moody said. “But that's all a part of learning. This year, we have a very strong chance to go to state. Everyone is very positive and confident in their abilities. Hopefully, we can get to state and win a state championship.”
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