Skip to content

Jack Watters, junior golfer, Lake Travis

Lake Travis junior Jack Watters, competing at the UIL state golf championships in Georgetown on Monday, has pledged to play at UC-Santa Barbara after he graduates.  He was a BMX state champion when he was younger.

Lake Travis junior Jack Watters, competing at the UIL state golf championships in Georgetown on Monday, has pledged to play at UC-Santa Barbara after he graduates. He was a BMX state champion when he was younger.

All about Jack

Tell something about you that most people don’t know.

I started to ride mountain bikes and BMX when I was around 7 and did it for four or five years. I was super dedicated to getting better. I was actually able to win the (Texas) state championship for mountain biking in 2016. Prior to that, I was a top five BMX racer in the nation.

Past or present, if you could attend any concert, who would you see?

Any Elton John concert from the ’70s. He has countless really good songs, and I think my generation doesn’t play them enough. I never get sick of it.

What do you consider the world’s greatest invention?

This might be a basic answer, but I’ll say the iPhone because it’s really transformed communication. You can send messages on countless platforms

More: Westwood’s Mesarovic, Taylor’s Michna headline our All-Central Texas tennis team

Do you have plans after you graduate?

I’ll be attending UC-Santa Barbara to play golf. My parents are alumni there, and I’ve visited the school a few times, and I like the location and the campus itself. The stars really aligned because when I was able to start talking to schools, a new coach (Chris Massoletti) got the job, and he’s super engaged and motivated and competitive. He wants to turn the program around in a better direction.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I would go to the Philippines because my mom grew up there. She’s told me countless stories and lots of fun things that I want to experience.

On playing golf at Lake Travis

How did you pick up the sport?

I picked it up about four years ago. Before that I was in BMX racing and mountain biking in California. I wanted to compete in an individual sport because I really like having the outcome not determined by someone else.

More: Westlake coach Callan Nokes wins one more state golf title before he steps away

What’s your favorite memory playing golf for Lake Travis?

Seeing everyone come together at the right time for the state championships was awesome. That was our highest and most memorable finish of the year. We came together as a team, played well collectively and gave it all to the end.

How do you keep your composure when you’re having a bad day?

I keep my composure because I know my next shot is all that matters. Knowing a string of a few good shots in a row can completely change my day in a positive way.

Dream dinner

If you could have dinner with four people in the history of the world, who would they be?

That’s a really tough question. I’m going to choose my maternal grandfather, who I never got to meet. He was the only person in my family who ever played golf. Also, John Daly, (the late rap artist) Mac Miller and Bob Marley.

What do you think Bob Marley and John Daly would talk about?

John Daly seems like a guy who would like some reggae music. I’m going to bet they’ll talk about John’s favorite songs of Bob’s.

This article originally appeared on the Austin American-Statesman: Lake Travis golfer Jack Watters is coming off a successful season