Different people find different things peaceful. Some might find horns honking and the action of a city relaxing while others may find sand under their toes comforting. For Mizzou men’s golf senior Hayden Buckley, sitting under the stars fishing is where he finds peace.
“It’s kind of one of my things to do to relax,” Buckley said. “I really enjoy just being peaceful. You’re not really doing much and not thinking about much.”
Growing up, Buckley, a Belden, Mississippi, native, and his friends would go fishing late in the evening to relax. Now, Buckley finds peace in a different place: the golf course.
“I don’t really like to think too much [when playing golf],” Buckley said. “I just like to get out there and make it work in whatever way possible.”
Buckley has been playing golf for most of his life and started swinging a club when he was around 2 years old. Up until he turned 14, he also played baseball before switching his primarily focus over to golf.
“Somebody sat me down — my coach did — and said you got to pick golf or baseball,” Buckley said. “I kinda realized that golf would be a lot easier to play for the rest of my life than it would be baseball. I wasn’t exactly the biggest kid or the best baseball player, so I finally just decided to pursue golf full time. It’s been incredible.”
Coming out of high school, Buckley had offers to play golf from Mizzou and Rice. When he came on his visit to Columbia, he knew where he belonged.
“It just seemed like one of those atmospheres that I wanted to be a part of, a family atmosphere,” Buckley said. “I wasn’t comfortable at first when I first got here, but coach Mark Leroux has really made that possible for me.”
Leroux found out about Buckley through a former player of his. Chris Harder, who is the head golf professional at Tupelo Country Club, called Leroux and told him there was a kid there that could play at the highest level. Harder told Leroux that Ole Miss and Mississippi State were also interested in him. Leroux believed in Harder and reached out to Buckley.
“Sure enough, we recruited [Buckley], and it’s worked out awesome,” Leroux said.
When Buckley first arrived on campus, he struggled. He wasn’t ranked highly on golf recruiting boards coming out of high school, which led to some self-doubt.
“I didn’t have much confidence,” Buckley said. “Slowly and slowly I kind of got taken under by the seniors at that time. When they kind of teach you and kinda let you know that, hey man, you can do this, you’re good. Slowly and slowly I started to build up and gain confidence.”
As Buckley got more comfortable at Mizzou, his play got stronger. As a sophomore, he shot eight rounds and three tournaments under par, which was the most of any Tiger that season. Entering his junior year, Buckley was poised to be one of the team’s leaders but tore a back muscle and missed the first two tournaments of the year.
“It was two months of sitting around,” Buckley said. “It was worth it. I kind of had to stay patient and wait for my time. It definitely changed my thought process on how I approach everything.”
Buckley rebounded after his injury and had a successful junior campaign. Before this season, he was still looking for his first individual collegiate victory. After finishing in a tie for second his sophomore year at the Turning Stone Intercollegiate, Buckley went on to win this time around.
Even though he missed the tournament at Turning Stone his junior year, it didn’t affect Buckley much at all when he returned.
“It’s funny how golfers just remember everything,” Buckley said. “It was obviously good to be back there and play there well too after missing last year. I hope to keep that up.”
Buckley is one of three seniors on the team, and he has emerged as a veteran leader this fall.
“He’s the team captain,” freshman Jack Parker said. “He’s a super nice guy, super hard worker. You can go to him for anything, whether it’s with your personal life or golf help or whatever. He’s definitely a team player.”
That’s what Buckley is trying to do, as he had players he looked up to when he was younger.
“Growing up, I had a few friends that were playing in college that I looked up to just like other kids look to me now,” Buckley said. “I remember wanting to be just like them and wanting to do that. Those were my guys that motivated me, and I’m hoping now I can do that for those kids back home.”
Going into his fourth season playing for Mizzou, Buckley would go back and change the amount of time he spent on the course if he had the chance. While he realizes it is easy to be tired and only want to stay on the driving range or putting green, the course can prove to be much different.
“The driving range you can sit there and hit a hundred balls in a row perfect, and you get out there on the course, and it’s a different world,” Buckley said. “I wish I could go back and play a little more. Just learn more about your game and experience different shots.”
As a senior, he also realizes that this is the final go-around and everything will be his last as a collegiate golfer. That makes this season all the more special for Buckley.
“This is my home,” Buckley said. “Obviously, it’s kind of tough being the last one where everything you do is the last time you do it. [I’m] just trying to take it in and really enjoy and appreciate what I’ve gotten over the past three years.”
Once his eligibility has run out, Buckley plans to keep in contact with the team and will continue to pursue a career in golf. He will also spend next year at Mizzou completing an internship for his biological engineering major. Buckley recognizes that not many people turn pro straight from college and have success, but he will look to stay healthy and be patient.
“I’ll be around still practicing and getting ready to hopefully play more after school,” Buckley said. “It’s kind of one of those things you have to wait and see what happens.”
_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_