Made for the game

Bret McGaughey cleared 50 yards of green when he was 8 years old.

And that was the first time he picked up a golf club.

“I hit that first solid ball, and I was hooked on the game for good,” the Laguna Beach High senior said.

McGaughey stumbled across a set of golf clubs his older sister left behind in the family garage. He asked his dad to sign him up for a lesson, and he’s been playing ever since.

He is now wrapping up his fourth year on the Laguna golf team and is in hot pursuit of becoming a professional golfer.

McGaughey won the Orange Coast League individual title in boys’ golf on April 29 for the second consecutive year, out-putting Estancia junior Ryan Knapp by just one stroke.

He shot a three-over-par 145 during the two-day tournament, tying Knapp for the lead with a 69 on the first day. He came back the next day to shoot a 76, edging Knapp’s five-over-par 77.

McGaughey said he was confident going into the tournament, but was a little nervous toward the end.

“I knew I had improved a lot since my win last year, so I was excited to see how well I’d do this year,” he said. “I was struggling with my swing on the second day though and basically making a lot of putts to stay one ahead of [Knapp]. So, it felt pretty good to win.”

McGaughey will advance to the CIF Southern Section Southern Individual Regional on Monday at SeaCliff Country Club, where he will play with Duane Hewlett, a close friend and teammate from Laguna Beach who finished third at the league tournament.

The Breakers will be two of about 60 golfers competing for the title and to advance to the Southern Section individual finals May 12.

Despite his recent win, and 12 to 15 hours of practice McGaughey puts in a week, he said he is anxious about the upcoming event.

“I didn’t play well in this last year,” he said. “I’m also nervous because it’s a hard course, and since it’s private, we don’t really get any tee times before the finals.”

McGaughey has also played in other junior golf tournaments with the International Junior Golf Team and American Junior Golf Association.

Most recently, he tied for 12th out of 28 competitors in the Club Glove Championships Feb 29-March 2 at the Temecula Creek Inn. He shot a six-over-par score of 150.

McGaughey emulates fellow Southern Californian and No. 2 golfer in the world Phil Mickelson.

Aside from three major championship and 33 PGA Tour event wins, McGaughey admires the way Mickelson conducts himself in the public eye.

“I look up to him mostly because he’s a family man. He always has a good attitude and a smile, and he’s nice to his fans, unlike many other professional athletes,” he said.

Another role model, to whom McGaughey attributes his success thus far, is his mom.

“She’s been behind me 110% and has supported me emotionally and financially, even when [golf] wasn’t going well,” he said.

In the fall, Mrs. McGaughey will show her support from 3,000 miles away, when her son attends Brevard College in North Carolina where he will play NCAA Division II golf.

McGaughey said he chose the school because the golf team offered him the opportunity to play.

“I was looking for a college where I could gain experience and improve my game,” he said. “If I went to a Division I school, I would sit on the bench and my dream of being a professional golfer couldn’t happen.”

McGaughey will major in Business and Marketing, where he will become prepared for his fallback career — working for a large golf company.

“I want to do something with golf, and there is a lot of success to be had [in the marketing field] too,” he said.

At Laguna Beach High, McGaughey studies economics, also in preparation of the future.