Henry Liaw is the semester's final Wildcat Athlete of the Week after the freshman golfer won the Pacific 10 Conference Championships last week and led Arizona to the team title as well. He followed that up by taking Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors a few days later. The Wildcat sat down with Liaw to find out how it feels to be the big fish in the sea how many strokes his head coach would need to beat him and what he thought of the Olsen twins.
Wildcat: How do you feel about earning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year?
Liaw: It was one of my goals. I came in and I'm very happy to accomplish it.
Wildcat: Would you consider your spring semester a success?
Liaw: Yeah, I played really well there and had a few chances to win, so it was sort of a deal like Phil Mickelson thinking, "When am I going to win one?" It finally came at the Pac-10s.
Wildcat: What do you think is bigger, winning the Pac-10 Championship or winning the 2001 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship?
Liaw: They are both big, but I think at this point in time I think it would be the Pac-10s.
Wildcat: How did you feel going into the Pac-10 Championship?
Liaw: I really felt I could win, because I played a lot of these guys during the summer and the spring semester and I knew I had a shot at making the top five. I knew if I were to hang in there I could have a chance.
Wildcat: Does the fact that Alejandro Canizares of Arizona State won the NCAA Championship last year as a freshman give you confidence that you can do the same deal at the same age?
Liaw: It does. He's a real good player and I've been finishing right behind him in every tournament. Now that I came through, it should bring some momentum in the NCAAs.
Wildcat: What impresses you the most about (UA senior, Hogan Award Finalist) Chris Nallen?
Liaw: Just how mature he is. Coach always says that the way we play is a little different than the pros. We can't go out there and try to hit the ball as far as we can, and Chris has just every single part of the game. He knows when to be aggressive and be conservative, and that's what I find amazing to find in a college golfer.
Wildcat: How many strokes do you have to spot (head coach) Rick LaRose (in a match)?
Liaw: (laughs) Coach LaRose is pretty good, but I think I could spot him seven strokes.
Wildcat: What about (women's head coach) Greg Allen?
Liaw: He'd have to spot me some shots; he's pretty good. He has that fade going.
Wildcat: You're one shot down at the NCAA to Florida and you have one club from the fairway to set up a possible winning birdie: Which club do you want?
Liaw: Any club would be fine. I'm confident with any club.
Wildcat: Who is your dream foursome?
Liaw: I would have to say Tiger Woods. And the other ones, it's tough to say. There are so many good golfers out there.
Wildcat: Do you think Michelle Wie would be competitive if she played for Stanford's men's team?
Liaw: I think so; it would be very fun to see her play.
Wildcat: Best golf swing in the PGA tour?
Liaw: Ernie Els.
Wildcat: On the LPGA tour?
Liaw: Annika Sorenstam.
Wildcat: What about the best swing in college golf?
Liaw: Chris Nallen.
Wildcat: Who is the most competitive person on the team?
Liaw: There are a lot of guys on the team, but I have to go with my roommate Josh Esler.
Wildcat: What is it going to take for Arizona to win the NCAAs?
Liaw: Consistency - we're young and a lot of people didn't think we could win the Pac-10s, but we obviously have the players that can do it. So we just have to hang in there and go confidently.
Wildcat: Who is the favorite going in to the NCAAs?
Liaw: I'd have to say Florida, because they have just been consistent all year and they have guys that have been there before. But we're going to change that.
Wildcat: Word association: Pat Tillman.
Liaw: A great guy.
Wildcat: 8 a.m. classes.
Liaw: Aww, sucks.
Wildcat: Bob Stoops.
Liaw: He better get the job done.
Wildcat: Olsen twins.
Liaw: Super hot.