HAPPY AT HOME
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V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 9
LEFT: Sharp was inducted into the Virginia Tech
Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. RIGHT: Sharp during
his playing days at Tech.
As someone who has gone through
the rigors of mini-tour professional golf,
Sharp said he also stresses academics with
his players.
“It’s great, and I love it, when we have
guys who aspire to play on the PGA Tour,”
Sharp said. “But if that’s your only aspira-
tion, then just turn pro out of high school.
You come to college to get the degree and
be prepared to do something other than
golf. I think it’s fantastic when guys want
to be professional golfers. We have a lot of
guys who try it, but there aren’t that many
guys who are fortunate to make a career
out of life on the PGA Tour.”
Sharp’s top priority when he takes over
as head coach will be recruiting, and he
hopes the relationships he’s built over the
last 16 years as a Tech assistant coach will
seamlessly continue when he assumes
his new role. Hardwick and Sharp have
made recruiting Virginia players a big
priority, as well as seeking players in the
talent-rich Carolinas.
“I feel like most of the guys in Virginia
know me. They’ve seen my face,” Sharp said.
“Recruiting will always be the most import-
ant part of the job. Once you get them here,
you want them to get better, but recruiting
truly never ends. You can’t get better, if you
don’t recruit better players.”
vsga.org
are going through, and he knows how to
So Sharp continued on in Blacksburg.
succeed on and off the course at Virginia
In 2008, he was promoted to associate
Tech,” Lawrence said. “Coach Sharp was
head coach. A year later, Sharp earned the
one of the best players to ever play here,
Jan Strickland Award, an honor the Golf
so we all look up to him and try our best to
Coaches Association of America bestows
beat him when we play.
upon the nation’s top assistant coach.
“… Although he shoots in the mid-60s
“He has all the qualities that any coach
every time, so it’s never easy to beat him.”
would like instilled in his own team—time
Sharp says his on-course coaching
management, academic prowess, social
style is rooted in the fundamentals of
skills, public speaking ability, attention to
the golf swing.
detail, high moral character and a dedicat-
“ I t r y my b e s t t o
ed work ethic,” Hard-
explain
why they need
wick says of Sharp.
“He has all the qualities
t
o
m
a
k
e a certain
Starting this sum-
that any coach would like
change,”
Sharp said.
mer, Sharp will have the
instilled in his own team—
“When
they’re
home,
opportunity to put his
time management, academic
and
their
dad
or
their
own stamp on the Tech
prowess, social skills, public
coach
is
asking
them,
program, something the
speaking ability, attention
‘why are you making
current Hokies’ players
to detail, high moral
this change?,’ I try to
are excited about.
character and a dedicated
make sure they can
“The whole team was
work ethic”
explain to them why
incredibly happy,” said
–Jay Hardwick
they’re doing it. … I want
Mark Lawrence Jr.,
them to understand as
the 2018 U.S. Amateur
much as they can about their own game.
semifinalist who is redshirting this season
Everybody has their idiosyncrasies in the
but will return for his senior year in 2019-
golf swing, in what they do well and what
20. “Everyone loves him and knows he is
they don’t do so well.
going to be the best coach for us. Coach
“And it will take me a while to do it. I tell
Sharp does a really good job of building a
them, it will take me that whole first year
relationship with the players.”
to know what makes their swing, and their
A lot of that has to do with Sharp’s play-
golf game, kind of tick. But after that first
ing background, and the fact that a major-
year, we can just talk on the phone. I’m
ity of Tech’s players study business, like he
not saying I can fix everything. You know
did as an undergrad and graduate student.
as well as I do that it takes a lot of work to
“I think being a former player real-
maintain and change things.”
ly helps him understand the things we