Three Indiana natives make up IU golf’s senior class, and the trio has been roommates for the past four years.
Seniors Will Seger, Andrew Havill and Keegan Vea have had drastically different career arcs during their time in Bloomington, but have remained close friends throughout.
Seger and Havill were tied for first place after 36 holes in French Lick, Indiana, during their sophomore year of high school. They met on the 18th tee during the playoff of that tournament. Seger, a Jasper, Indiana, native, and senior Keegan Vea were members of the same golf course just outside of Evansville, Indiana. With ties that existed before any of the three came to IU, Seger said the relationships among the seniors is special.
“We root for each other like we root for anybody else on the team, but it’s a little more personal,” Seger said.
IU Coach Mike Mayer got the chance to watch all three of them during their junior year of high school. He decided to recruit the three as a package.
Seger and Vea committed as juniors because they knew the University they’ve been fans of since they were kids was where they wanted to be. Havill didn’t commit until his senior year, but he’s turned into Mayer’s No. 1 player.
Seger came to IU as Mayer’s top recruit of the three. Seger appeared in all 12 events, including the Big Ten Match Play Championship, in his freshman year. He also posted an impressive average round score of 75.14, but since then he’s seen less matches and his average round crept up to 81.25.
Last season, he appeared in just four matches. This season, that number has been cut in half. He played as an individual in the Northern Intercollegiate and the Grand Canyon Invitational.
“There are things that happen, not because of his work ethic, but because his game has not developed the way we hoped it would,” Mayer said of Seger. “Our expectations and his expectations got in the way a little bit.”
Meanwhile, Vea has appeared in five of the seven stroke-play matches this season, and his average round is 77.36, seventh on the team.
Havill has not missed a tournament since his sophomore year and is a regular at the Hoosiers’ top spot in the lineup. His average round of 73.5 leads the team.
It has not always been this way. In fact, roles have reversed between Havill and his two roommates since freshman year.
With Havill’s first season came a few hard lessons. He didn’t get on the course as much as he hoped and played just seven-stroke play tournaments with a high finish of seventh place. Havill said balancing collegiate sports and school caught up with him early on.
“It was extremely tough for me,” Havill said. “Coming into college with schoolwork, traveling all over the country playing in tournaments and missing class, I really struggled to balance that lifestyle in my first couple of semesters in college.”
Havill and Vea are both pursuing degrees from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. The two were named Cleveland/Srixon All-American Scholars as juniors.
Like his two senior counterparts, Seger said his aspirations extend past the final 18th green of his golf career. Seger’s dad and seven uncles graduated from the Kelley School of Business, and Seger plans to follow them this spring. He is pursuing a degree in finance and has a job lined up at Stephens Inc. in Chicago this summer.
As his fourth year of coaching the senior trio winds down, Mayer said one thing is certain. Each player has grown up during his time at IU.
“They’ve all matured,” Mayer said. “At this point they’re planning what they’re going to do with the rest of their lives. I believe they will be very close friends the rest of their lives.”
