Texas A&M Men's Golf

Former A&M golfer Martin Piller discusses pro life, previews Masters

By Gabe Bock

April 5, 2017

3,056

We moved in the summer of last year to Flower Mound, we were in Ft. Worth for the last couple years. As far as golf courses, we play at Shady Oaks in Ft. Worth and Maridoe, a new course that is about to open here in Carrolton. It should open in June and it’s going to be pretty good, those are the two places we play at.

I will be like most people this weekend sitting back and watching the Masters. I’ve never played at Augusta, but you can get into the Masters for free with a PGA tour card or Web.com card, so I went to the final round in 2009 as a fan. Just like most anyone that has been, you’re there for the golf course. If you haven’t been, It is one of those things you can’t see enough.

You see the fruits of hard work and what the reward is at a place like the Masters. Just like in any other sport, that's the next level. It’s just like for a high school kid to see Kyle Field, you think it’s incredible. It’s just the highest level, it is basically the Super Bowl for golf. It absolutely motivates you.

Dustin Johnson looks pretty good, he has won his last three starts which is incredible. If I were to not take DJ, I would take Rickie Fowler who’s been playing really well this weekend. I would also look at John Rahm, a rookie who’s short game is incredible. I think it’s a safe bet to take Dustin, Rory is great but I don’t know if he has the short game for Augusta and you have to have a perfect short game out there.

Rahm is the real deal, I played with him a couple times last year and he is the real deal. He hits the ball really well and his short game is perfect. Basically, he drives it like Sergio Garcia and has a short game like Phil. He is a guy that if you like to watch Ryder Cup, you’re going to see him playing for Europe for years to come.

Phil Mickelson is still one of the best short game players on tour and as long as he has that he has a chance at Augusta. When I look at Augusta, I want guys who have a good short game.

Golf is kind of an up and down game and you have to ride the momentum. 2013-14 were really tough years for me, but then in 2015 I played really well on the Web.com tour and earned my tour card. I got in contention at a few PGA tour events and played pretty steady most of the year, but fell just short of keeping my card. I will get to play in The Colonial this year based on my finish last year, so that’s where I will start.

It’s a challenge going all over the world, I’m thankful for things like Skype and FaceTime. My wife (current 19th-ranked LPGA player Gerina Piller) and I see each other a lot, it’s just not at home. We’re home this week but that is kind of a rarity. This is all I’ve ever known, I started playing right when I left school and my wife did the same thing. It is a tough lifestyle, the glamorous part is the playing well on Sunday, but other than that it can be a grind.

My wife is incredible, she has gotten better every year. She’s steady, hardly misses cuts and just lives in the top-10. She’s a pretty long hitter which helps but it’s really cool to watch her play. She was able to play in the Olympics last year in a couple of team events, she is incredible to watch.

Quick Hitters

Favorite memory as a pro golfer: Watching my wife win the Solheim Cup in Germany

Reaction when A&M won the National Title in 2009: I was proud. I remember watching it at a tournament in North Carolina, it was kind of blurry and the feed was not great, but I figured out they won and I couldn’t believe it. It was an extremely proud moment for me and everyone associated with A&M.

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