Hartselle’s Tiffin elevates his game at Troy

DECATUR, Ala. (AP) - Seeing Jake Tiffin smacking golf balls at the driving range at Burningtree Country Club is nothing new.

Seeing him doing it while wearing a Troy University cap and belt is a little different. Most people are used to seeing him dressed for the Hartselle Tigers. He was part of Hartselle’s 2015 Class 6A state championship team.

Probably a lot more people remember him wearing a football uniform and playing quarterback for the Tigers. He led them to three straight playoff appearances.

“People ask me all the time if I miss playing football,” Tiffin said. “I do miss it on Friday nights. I miss being in the locker room with my teammates. I like having the complete and utter confidence that my teammates will do their jobs.

“I liked being from Hartselle and having the attitude that we aren’t the biggest, fastest or strongest, but we’re going to play as hard as we can to beat you on every play.”

That attitude helped Tiffin succeed on the golf course and landed him a golf scholarship to Troy. He just finished his freshman season and is competing in his fifth Spirit of America Golf Classic, which started Thursday at Burningtree.

Tiffin will team with Troy teammate Calum Masters to represent the Trojans in the Collegiate Team Division.

Like a lot of freshmen, Tiffin faced the usual adjustment of being away from home and getting into the academic routine. He also had to adjust to golf in the fall. There wasn’t time for golf while playing football for Coach Bob Godsey.

“I never picked up a golf club during football season,” Tiffin said. “My teammates were giving 100 percent to football, and I needed to do the same thing.”

Tiffin admits he struggled with his game last fall at Troy. The Trojans’ roster featured four seniors. Cracking the starting five for tournament play was difficult.

“It was my first full year to work on golf,” Tiffin said. “In high school I rushed from football to basketball to golf. It would take a couple of weeks in the spring for me to get my golf game where I wanted it to be. I had the chance last fall to really work on my game. That made a big difference.”

It started clicking for Tiffin in March at the Seminole Intercollegiate in Tallahassee, Florida. Tiffin carded five birdies and shot a 1-under 71 while playing as an individual. On April 2 at Vanderbilt’s Legend’s Club in Nashville, Tiffin had three birdies and an eagle to shoot 2-under 69.

“At Vanderbilt we were competing against Alabama and Florida,” Tiffin said. “When you can hold your own against schools like that, you start to feel like you have the game it takes to be out there.”

In April, Troy competed in match play at Georgia vs. the No. 24 Bulldogs and North Florida. Tiffin was not scheduled to play but made the trip. When a teammate was a late scratch, Tiffin stepped in and won two matches.

“It was great to see the light bulb come on for Jake,” Troy coach Matt Terry said. “He came to Troy with a learning curve. He’s got loads of talent. The key is getting him from where he is today to where he wants to be. It takes time, but he’s on the right path.”

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Information from: The Decatur Daily, https://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/index.shtml