Rozner: Maverick McNealy making his own way in pro golf

There is much that is so obviously impressive about Maverick McNealy.

But it is the less than obvious that is more striking.

It's that the 22-year-old looks you in the eye when he speaks and is polite and thoughtful. There is zero hint of privilege or arrogance, traits you may struggle to miss in the average college graduate of this generation.

McNealy is respectful of the opportunities he has been given, but even more of those that he has fought to earn.

Sounds kind of ridiculous, a cynic could suppose, that the son of a billionaire has had to fight for anything. But his father, Scott, the co-founder of Sun Micro, did not push him into golf and could not clear a path for him if he did.

It was Maverick McNealy who decided last fall that he would not use his Stanford degree - in management science and engineering - to follow his father into the business world, the equivalent of a Michael Jordan son following him into basketball.

Instead, McNealy went to qualifying school and earned his Web.com Tour card for this season. To this point he has earned $52,000, many times less than what he could be making in business.

It was a decision he fought internally for two years, the golf world waiting on pins and needles to hear whether one of the country's best amateurs would stay in the game.

And it made for some ridiculous - and rather loud - speculation.

"It was definitely a lot to process," said McNealy, who's playing in the Rust-Oleum Championship at Ivanhoe this weekend. "I was definitely not trying to bring attention to myself. I was just a college kid trying to figure out what to do after school.

"It took me a little longer than most in this profession, but it was a lot to consider. I think I made a fantastic decision and I'm excited now to have one focus and that's to play golf to the best of my ability."

At times, it seemed unfair at best and cruel at worst as those who talk for a living gave him their unsolicited advice, but McNealy was never troubled by that side of it.

"I think it's cool that people care," McNealy said. "We get to play golf for a living because people care about golf. They're interested in us and interested in watching us hit golf shots.

"I'm really glad that people take an interest because it allows us to do what we love for a living."

So far his decision looks brilliant.

McNealy was leading the Rust-Oleum at 12-under after two rounds following an 8-under 64 on Friday, his ninth cut made in nine starts.

His best finish so far was a tie for third in Evansville at the end of April when he led the first three rounds, before a 2-over on Sunday when he appeared to run out of gas on a very difficult course.

"It was fun. Good golf is a lot more fun than bad golf," McNealy said with a smile. "I enjoyed playing well there and getting in the mix, playing on a great golf course.

"I've learned a lot every week, good or bad. Obviously, it's fun and you feel things differently when you're in that position and in the heat of battle. It's nice to get back there. It's been awhile.

"It's the first time at this level I've been in that position. Every week I've gotten better and gotten more comfortable and figured a couple things out that I need to do better.

"Hopefully, I've taken care of a lot of that."

At Stanford, McNealy was first-team All-America and the world's No. 1 amateur, winning every award a college golfer could hope to win. Among them, he captured the 2017 Ben Hogan Award - golf's Heisman Trophy - and in 2015 the Haskins Award, won in 1996 by a Stanford kid named Tiger Woods.

He is a sponsor's dream, with the physical gifts, talent and demeanor the PGA Tour hopes for every time a player leaves the amateur ranks and joins the Web.

He's No. 54 on the Web money list right now. The top 25 in the regular season and top 25 in the postseason graduate to the PGA Tour each year, and a single win is a virtual guarantee of promotion.

And while that is the goal, McNealy is convincing when he says that is not his daily focus, which is to get better as a golfer and as a person in every way.

This is a young man who had every reason to feel entitled and to act the same way. Instead, he chose to grind on the junior tour, sometimes in places you've never heard of and in front of tiny crowds, to chase his own dreams and make his own way.

Last week, he finished 43rd at the Rex Hospital Open at TPC Wakefield Plantation in North Carolina. He cashed a check for $2,216.50.

There's not a lot of glamour on the Web, just talented players hammering away - a small bucket at a time - at the future, knowing a single win can change their lives.

Maverick McNealy didn't do this for yucks. The truth is he didn't have to do it at all and maybe others in his position wouldn't have done anything.

So it would be foolish to bet against him making the big time - and making it big.

brozner@dailyherald.com

• Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's "Hit and Run" show at WSCR 670-AM and follow him @BarryRozner on Twitter.