Senior Brady Catalano was inspired to play golf from a young age. Till around eighth grade Catalano played basketball and soccer, but eventually settled on making golf his main sport.
“Some of [my dad’s] teammates from college played professionally and stayed at our house,” Catalano said. “That kind of got me into it.”
The journey hasn’t been a straight line for Catalano. Being a student athlete comes with adversity, but Catalano found a way to come out on the other side stronger.
“There’s a lot of ups and downs. It’s been tough with recruiting,” Catalano said. “I kind of played not great in the spring and I was worried that diminished my chances of going to a top college, but you got to just keep working hard and keep playing, and I seemed to play better and got some good looks.”
Catalano committed to Oklahoma State University (OSU) in June of 2023. OSU’s men’s golf team is a storied program with 11 national titles and 56 conference titles. The recruiting process was long and grueling, but worth it in the end.
“I ended up getting a school I really wanted to go to. It was stressful,” Catalano said. “I’d been talking to coaches for probably a year.”
Catalano has always had aspirations to be great. He has dedicated himself to golf more as the years went by in order to reach his goals.
“I just want to be the best I can,” Catalano said. “I want to play high level professional golf, and that’s kind of what gets me up in the morning and working hard.”
Catalano already has hit one of his goals by committing to a high level college.
“Once I started playing, I really wanted to play at a top 25 school,” Catalano said. “That’s been the goal.”
Like many athletes, Catalano looks up to a professional. Catalano looks up to the successful player Tiger Woods.
“I think a lot of people say that [they look up to Tiger Woods], but he’s been dominant and I think a lot of people want to do what he’s done.”
This is Catalano’s final season of golf as a Golden Bear. With the end of the regular season starting, and the postseason beginning, Catalano reflects on his closing season.
“We got off to a hot start. As a team we’ve played really well,” Catalano said. “As long as we play well in the postseason, that’s all that matters.”
Aside from the tournaments and matches, Catalano has bonded with his team over the years and made memories that will last. He reflects on his favorite memory from his high school golf career.
“The van rides with the team. Those are fun,” said Catalano.
As his high school golf career comes to an end, Catalano leaves behind inspiring words for the next generations of Golden Bears.
“Working hard is the biggest thing,” said Catalano. “If you don’t put the work in, it’s kind of hard to expect results. Have fun with it, keep working hard, and just keep doing the right things.”
