"You're Playing for the Flag, Too": A Conversation with Ethan Fang Ahead of His First Open Championship

Ethan Fang has had a better three months on the golf course than some aspiring pros experience in a lifetime. The Oklahoma State Cowboy from Plano, Texas, began this epic streak at the end of May, when he and his team took home the NCAA Championship. His squad defeated the University of Virginia in the matchplay final at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California. Less than a month later, he became the first American golfer to win the British Amateur Championship in 17 years. “I knew I was playing some really good golf and then winning nationals as a team put the cherry on top for the season,” he explains from his childhood home in Texas. “Going into my summer and winning my first summer tournament, it's a pretty cool feeling.”

Fang isn’t your typical golf sicko, though. He hasn’t had a swing coach in years and gets practice reps in by heading out to the course with buddies and sticking to the fundamentals that have helped him become one of the best amateur golfers in the country. We caught up with Fang shortly before July 4th, and though his win at the British Am earned him a spot at the Open at Royal Portrush later this month, he was eager to spend some time away from the course. He had a fishing trip planned for the holiday, and it was only once he returned that he would begin grinding away in preparation of his professional major debut. “I'm still young, so I can't start grinding eight, nine hours a day.” Ah, to be born with such talent.

Though the Open looms large for Fang, he’s still got plenty of other tasks on the horizon to keep him grounded. He’s got two more years of college golf and the daunting process of navigating the ultra-competitive PGA Tour U program. Next April, he’ll be making his Augusta debut, another perk of taking home the British Am. Fang, far humbler than anyone in his position needs to be, is taking all of these wins in stride. He was quick to point out the importance of his wins, not for his own stature, but for his teammates, and for his country. He explained his matchplay approach: “Going into the final match, I told myself, ‘You're playing for more than yourself, you're playing for the flag too.’” At the pace he’s at, Ethan Fang might have plenty more opportunities to play for that flag in the future, too.

What’s your daily schedule now that you are in training mode, no longer in the collegiate season?

I'm just trying to have some fun over the summer. I wake up and just go with the flow. I like to go fishing, head to the course with a couple buddies and just get some practice in, play a couple holes, and then just hang out. We went down to the lake for the 4th, just trying to get a little time away from golf and then getting back into the grind for The British Open.

Did you think going into the British Am that you’d have to be preparing for The Open?

Definitely not. It was definitely a goal to win, but at the end of the day, it's such a big field, anything could happen. I was lucky enough to come out on top. It's a pretty cool feeling.

Talk to me about how grueling that event is. It seems like so much golf.

Yeah, it's a very long week. We got there a day early to try to get used to the area and the weather. We had two practice rounds. Then the tournament was two rounds of stroke play and then six rounds of match play. Especially towards the end, that round of eight and on, it's just a battle. Your body's tired, your mind's been through a lot that week, so you just have to just stay strong and battle your way through it.

It seems like you got better as match play went on. In the round of 32 you were two down with two to play. Did you feel like you were getting more comfortable with links golf as the week progressed?

For sure. I was definitely getting more comfortable with the course. After winning, going into the next match you just go into it feeling more confident. You win two or three, it's like, ‘Why not go to the final?’ From then on, it's all instincts.

Did you feel the crowd rooting for Gavin [Tiernan]?

It’s happened before. I remember it happening during the quarterfinals of the US Am. A bunch of Iowa fans came up to watch Noah [Kent]. It adds fuel to the fire. When I made a putt, they would clap, but when Gavin made a putt, there would be loud cheers. You’ve just got to be mentally strong.

After the 4th, are you in full on Open mode?

I’m just gonna do everything I've been doing, and not force anything new. At the end of the day, you got to have fun with golf. I'm still young, so I can't start grinding eight, nine hours a day. I just stick with the same routine and will go up there and try to have a blast.

What's the strongest part of your game right now?

It's normally my short game—chipping, pitching. It's been like that my entire life, but recently this year, especially midway through the fall season, my putting clicked. That’s a big part of the game, if you're knocking down putts. It's a rewarding feeling when you hit a shot to 10, 15 feet, you think you have a pretty good chance of making it. I think that's one big thing that helped me start playing better this year.

What’s the difference between celebrating something like the British Am and the NCAA Championships?

They were both really special, obviously, but winning as a team is something that you don't get to do much in golf. That was really cool, especially with the season we had leading up into Nationals. I think we won four in a row and we were all feeling really good about our games and to end up winning that with the team and celebrating with them, that was just a really cool feeling.

Is this the craziest run of your career so far?

Yeah, for sure. I was playing pretty good this season. I strung together a bunch of top tens and I was close to winning, but I never got the job done. I knew I was playing some really good golf and then winning nationals as a team put the cherry on top for the season. Going into my summer and winning my first summer tournament, it's a pretty cool feeling.

How different is it going across the pond and playing links golf? What was the adjustment like for you?

It's definitely a big difference. We don’t have much like it over here. The closest thing I can imagine is Bandon Dunes. I told that to a couple people up in England and they took it in the wrong way [laughs]. Over there, you have to score your ball in a bunch of different ways. You’ve got to hit all the shots if you want to succeed out there. You obviously have to avoid the pot bunkers. I think I hit into four pot bunkers during the week. I doubled three of ‘em, just being right up against the lip. With tee shots, you definitely have to be more mindful of where you want to place your ball. It's just a completely different style of game.

Do you play golf for fun when you’re not in-season? Or do you mostly like to turn your mind off?

I like to balance things during the summer. During the school year you play so many tournaments, you're constantly on the road. It's definitely good to get away a little bit. I still play a good amount back home, especially with my buddies. We will go out, play some money games here and there, and have a good time. I’d say a couple weeks before the tournament, that's when I start hitting the range more. I've always played a good amount, so I'm not too worried about that. It’s mostly about getting my setup in check and making sure everything's in line and ready for a competition.

Is it rare for someone of your caliber to do things independently without a swing coach?

It's definitely a lot different when my swing's not feeling too good. It's not like I can just go to a coach. Cameron taught me a good amount. Him and my dad taught me a good amount throughout the years, so I know the basic stuff. I just apply the things I worked on growing up and most of the time it works. Working on your own is definitely different, but it's good when you go to college. You don't really have anyone to guide you other than your coaches there.

Have you thought about goals for the Open yet?

Obviously a pretty standard goal is to make the cut as an amateur. That'd be really cool. If I'm playing some really good golf out there, I have a chance to do pretty well. But I don't really like to set too many goals for myself. I’ll go in there without any expectations, let my game do the talking, and see where that takes me.

Have you been to Portrush before?

I haven't, no. Going over for the British Am was the first time I had been to Europe in general. I'm pretty excited to go over to Northern Ireland.

Will your folks go with you?

Yeah, my parents are going, and then my caddy from the British Am, Will Livermore, will be caddying for me that week, too.

Is he on the OSU team?

No, he went to OSU his freshman year. He didn't play golf there. Now he plays at Northeastern State. I've known Will for a while now. We grew up playing golf together, I’ve known him since I was 10 or 11. We've just been really good friends for a while. A couple years ago I asked him if he wanted to go to the US Junior Am with me and we had a pretty good tournament there. Ever since, he's been caddying for my summer tournaments.

Is anyone else traveling with you for The Open?

Coach Bratton [OSU golf coach] and his wife are going with me. Most of Will's family is going down there too.

Have you allowed yourself to think about Augusta yet?

Yeah, that's always on the back of my mind. It’ll happen when we’re finishing up the spring season for college golf. It’s something that's always going to be popping up in the back of my head. I can’t think about it too much, because I have the Open and a whole bunch of tournaments I got to worry about before that.

What's it like to be the first American in 17 years to win the British Am?

It's pretty crazy. Going into the week, I think there were only eight or nine Americans. It was something in the back of my head. Going into the final match, I told myself, ‘You're playing for more than yourself, you're playing for the flag too.’ That was a really good thing to keep in my head, to take the pressure off and realize it's about more than you and you're kind of playing for your country.

What's your favorite new club in your bag for the summer?

I put a whole new set of irons in for nationals. It was a very late switch. I needed to hit the ball a little higher. I had a couple of tournaments in the spring where the greens were really firm and I had a hard time stopping it. I played the Apex MBs before I switched to the CBs. Switching over to the CBs helped me hit the ball a little higher and stop the ball on the greens a little easier.

Are you messing around with mini drivers, seven woods, anything else that’s popular on Tour right now?

No, I'm just sticking to the basics. Yeah. I've noticed a lot of people have the mini driver now and the seven wood, too. Maybe I'll experiment with that later down the road, but as of now, I'm pretty comfortable with all of my equipment.