Junior Steve Souchek has found success in every level of golf he has competed in, and hopes to thrive at SIU.

Souchek started playing golf with his dad when he was a child. His father, Terry Souchek, said his son golfed in junior PGA tournaments and even won a few medals. It was around that time when they both noticed he had some talent to build on.

Souchek’s father said his work ethic was tremendous, and was rarely a concern.

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“Holy cow, it’ll be July 13 in the middle of summer,” Souchek said. “It’ll be 110 degrees, and he will be out there chipping and putting.”

The Columbia native played golf throughout high school, making it to state three years. Souchek’s team finished in second place his freshman year, and he finished in second place as an individual his junior year.

He took that success to John A. Logan College, where he continued to achieve. Both years he was a National Junior College Athletic Association All-American, as well as a PING All-Region player. His freshman year he placed eighth at the NJCAA National Championship and his sophomore year he placed 12th.

The national tournament holds Souchek’s fondest golf memory.

“My freshman year at Logan, I made probably a 50-footer for birdie on the last hole at Nationals to put us into a playoff for second place as a team,” Souchek said.

Souchek transferred to SIU in the fall, and has already proven to coach Leroy Newton that he is one of the best on the team.

“Right now, he is one of the top four players,” Newton said. “We are expecting him with his junior college experience to always be a counter for us, and to be one of the top one or two players on the team.”

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Sophomore Drew Novara, fellow teammate and roommate, said having Souchek on the team is an enjoyable experience.

“Steve is just a solid player,” Novara said. “He’s usually been pretty consistent, he beat me up at the U.S Amateur, he’s really easygoing and he just loves to play some good golf.”

Newton, Novara and Souchek’s father all agreed about his best qualities as a golfer. They said he is mature enough to know there are more important things than golf, and that he does not stay discouraged after bad shots.

Souchek’s father said his son is a good student, and it does not matter to him how far he goes in golf. He said grades come first, and it is more important to get a degree.

“I want to see him graduate with a nice grade point average,” Souchek said. “That’s the number one thing on my list.”

Souchek said his personal goals include winning a tournament or two, and winning the Missouri Valley Conference tournament as a team. His ultimate goal with golf is to become a successful professional, and he is happy that he can use playing at SIU to his advantage. Souchek has talked about becoming a collegiate golf coach, and he said playing for SIU only increases that possibility.

He has gone from competing against his father, to competing in high school and junior college, to competing at SIU. While there are aspects of his game that could use improvement, Souchek’s peers recognize his talent, and love for the game of golf.