Boys Golf: Hinsdale Central’s Jack Mulligan is the Suburban Life Player of the Year

To say Jack Mulligan has a glittering resumé in the game of golf is an understatement.

The Hinsdale Central senior is ranked No. 2 in the state and No. 1 in his class by the American Junior Golf Association. As of this past week Mulligan was rated No. 314 nationally by Junior Golf Scoreboard.

The NIU recruit added to his ledger this fall with a sterling season. A model of consistency was eight rounds under par, Mulligan took first at the Warren Invite, third at the Conway Farms Invite, second at the Lake Park Invite third at the Batavia Invite and third at the Hinsdale Invite during the regular season. In the postseason Mulligan won the West Suburban Silver title with a low round of 68, took fifth at regionals and led the Red Devils to conference, regional and sectional titles. Hinsdale Central finished it all off with a second-place finish at state.

A leader on and off the course, Jack Mulligan is the Suburban Life boys golf Player of the Year. Here is his Q&A with Joshua Welge:

Welge: How do you feel about the season and the finish to the year with how you guys did at state?

Mulligan: I was really proud of my team’s performance the whole year and especially at state. My second round to the state tournament I didn’t know what I needed to do for the team, but with all of the talent and dedication of my teammates we still had a very good chance at winning state.

Welge: Besides state, what was a highlight?

Mulligan: Apart from state, the team was able to win conference, regionals and sectionals. In the beginning of the season, the team also won the Prep Tour tournament shooting 5-under with Drew Devata and Devin Swoyer tying for first at 3-under. I was also proud to pick up the individual win at our conference tournament with a round of 4-under.

Welge: You had eight rounds under par this season. What was the key to that consistency?

Mulligan: They key to my consistency this year was staying in the present and trusting in the work I put in. I knew that I was going to make a few bogeys and a few birdies so I had to make sure I didn’t get too high or too low emotionally. I had a very high level of trust in my swing and by putting that all together I was able to have a lot of solid rounds.

Welge: Coach had high praise for you as a leader and as a teammate. What are some of the traits you feel that you have that are important as a leader?

Mulligan: I feel that in order to be a leader on any team you need to always remain positive and supportive of your teammates. Instead of cheering for your individual successes you need to be there to boost the morale of the players that may not have had their best day. That’s one of the reasons I feel like all the players on our team were leaders. We all had each other’s backs.

Welge: How old were you when you started golf and what got you started?

Mulligan: I started golfing when I was about 8 years old. I tried a lot of sports but I had a natural talent and love for the game of golf. My dad also really helped me get into it as he took me out to the course almost every day when I was really young.

Welge: What’s the toughest course you’ve played on? What about the favorite course?

Mulligan: The toughest course we played was for sure The Den for the state tournament. It wasn’t as much the difficulty of the course as much as the blaring winds that were blowing at about 25-30 miles per hour at some points of the round. My favorite course that we played was Conway Farms. It was an amazing track that had some of the best course conditions that you could ask for.

Welge: Is there a pro player you like to watch?

Mulligan: My favorite professional golfer to watch is Jordan Speith. He has an unbelievable short game and watching him go on his run in 2015 was some of the best golf I ever got to see live.

Welge: What do you plan to study at Northern Illinois University?

Mulligan: I am currently planning on majoring in business.