Mattingly Upchurch, a returning Junior for the Hamilton Southeastern Boys Golf team, has been playing varsity golf since his freshman year. Mattingly is committed to play division one golf at Ball State University once he graduates high school. Mattingly says that “[he] started playing golf in 5th grade and [his] grandma got [him] into it because she lived on a course.”
Committing to play any college sport isn’t easy, especially when you have multiple schools to choose from. Mattingly committed to Ball State in December 2024. He chose Ball State for many reasons, but one thing that stuck out to him was his dad went there as well. He also values team chemistry a lot and thinks that “since a good amount of the team is from Indiana, we are all going to be close”. When asking Upchurch about what he’s looking forward to playing at the colligate level, he’ll simply tell you that “[he’s] looking forward to playing against some of the best young players in the world.”
Mattingly has also expressed his excitement towards the upcoming high school season through the ambitious goals that he has set for himself. “I want to be named all-conference again.” Upchurch states. He was one of the four Royals golfers named all-conference last year, and his drive to do so again just shows the type of character he is. In the 2024 IHSAA State Finals, Mattingly tied for 8th place in the individual rankings, falling short to Fairfield junior Brayden Miller who won first. Upchurch says this year he “want[s] to be an individual regional champion and an individual state champion.” Last year, the Royals won sectionals and regionals as a team, along with placing third in state, but Mattingly is aiming to win it himself this year.
Mattingly has had a very successful golf career so far, but as everyone knows, nothing in life comes easy. Everyone has their own struggles, especially in the game of golf. Upchurch says that one of his “toughest challenges so far is playing in cold weather.” Luckily the high school golf season is in the spring, so cold weather normally isn’t something the athletes have to worry about, but during the offseason Mattingly has played in some chilly weather. “I have been trying forever to battle the [cold] weather. I think I have been getting better though. I played well this past weekend in colder weather [March 22/23, 2025].” Another challenge that Mattingly battles is simply in his head. “I am a very competitive person. Sometimes I will have a bad shot or just a bad day, and I will get in my head too much, making me play worse. I want to work on calming down more when I’m having an off day.” Mattingly’s working hard to push through these challenges and keep improving his game.
Mattingly and the Royals Golf Team are preparing for an exciting and hopeful season ahead. Stay tuned for their first match on March 31st at Ulen Country Club.
