Father And Son Compete Against One Another At Sizzler Amateur

You hear some remarkable stories when you walk around Troon Saguaro Amateur Series Tournaments throughout the year. The fields are made up mostly of collegiate standouts who are looking to get some tournament reps in during the college golf off-seasons. But there are also former pros, business owners like Reid Hatley who is the owner of RHI Golf, which create the Trophies for the Saguaro Amateur series and more!

This past June at the third annual Sizzler Amateur at Troon North Golf Club in Scottsdale, AZ, there was a unique story among those in the field. That was a father and his son competing against one another.

Maverick Pavletich is now a freshman at the University of Pacific in northern California. Among those who looked to get in his way on the Sizzler Amateur leader board, was his Dad, Mark.

“Ever since he started playing we’ve just played together,” said Mark after completing the Sizzler. “He started playing at a high level when he was young so we started playing in some amateur tournaments so that way we could both play.”

However, there is a competitive element which comes into play here. While Mark and Maverick love each other dearly, them competing against one-another ads a little something extra when being part of these tournaments.

“It’s a little more competition,” explained Maverick. “The goal going into the week is to always beat him. It’s definitely a little extra pressure and you want to play a little harder because there’s something a little more than a tournament in play here.”

“I know he’s better than me and I always like to try to beat him when I can,” Mark added. “But when he has a chance to finish high like he did today, you hope he does better than me.

Well in this case for the Sizzler, that something extra worked for Maverick as the then incoming-freshman finished T-6 for the week shooting 3-under par. On the golf course, especially for a player who plays at the level that Maverick does, there are voices in the back of your mind as you prepare for each shot. One of those voices, despite trying to compete against him from time-to-time, is his Dad’s.

“Our games are a little different but with the basics and mechanics that he taught me when I was young, those are still with me.” Maverick mentioned.

It’s not often is it the case that a competitor is also the voice in your head who is trying to assist.

Above all, these are memorable experiences that a family gets to enjoy together and though there is business at hand, a family gets to be with each other and experience new things.

“It’s fun to get to travel and make a trip out of this for our family,” said Mark.

“It’s a trip!” added Maverick. “We get to play a different course. I don’t get out of California very often so it’s cool to go to some new courses and experience new things. I like it!”

As mentioned, Maverick begins a new chapter of his life in 2019 as he will begin his collegiate career at Pacific. Competing this past summer in the Sizzler have allowed him to better prepare for the exciting new phase of his life which is fast approaching.

“I like playing in these bigger tournaments especially when you finish well because it really makes you feel like you accomplished something big,” Maverick explained. “I’m looking forward to big tournaments like this one, big competition and am eager to see how I stand next to everyone else.”

“I think it’s real valuable,” Mark mentioned. “You see the bags from the guys like Colorado, Arizona and other big schools and you say “ok yea, I can play with these guys.” And it’s a boost of confidence for him going into college for sure.”

So as Maverick begins this new big stage in his life, he can at least know that he is prepared because the experiences he has had growing up with his father both supporting him and also igniting a little extra competitive edge, could very well be the component that allows Maverick to succeed flourish at the next level.

Entries for all of the winter events of our 2019-20 Troon Saguaro Amateur Series are now open! The series is hosting four world amateur ranked events this winter on some of the top courses across the Western USA.

With the Gobbler, Agave, and Saguaro Amateurs boasting full competitive fields, the Series is introducing the inaugural Grapevine Amateur from January 6-9 at world-class Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa Valley, CA on the North Course, the home of the PGA Tour’s Safeway Open. The 2019 Safeway Open tee’s off in a week which features Team Troon standouts Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay.

All of our events will be ranked events in WAGR, Scratch Players Rankings, and other applicable amateur rankings. All of the entry forms are available at www.SaguaroAmateur.com.