{"id":861427,"date":"2026-09-26T14:18:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T14:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/861427\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T14:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T14:18:10","slug":"ct-golfer-doesnt-tie-his-shoes-hes-a-win-from-the-masters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/861427\/","title":{"rendered":"CT golfer doesn’t tie his shoes. He’s a win from The Masters"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you ever play golf with Keven Slyne<\/a>, the first thing you\u2019ll probably notice is that his shoes aren\u2019t tied.<\/p>\n

He also doesn\u2019t wear a hat, or gloves, and his shoes aren\u2019t even golf shoes \u2014 just regular sneakers.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad always used to say, if you need golf shoes, you\u2019re swinging too hard,\u201d Slyne said.<\/p>\n

The Granby native works two jobs, so he doesn\u2019t have much time to practice, either. He plays about twice a week, just gripping it and ripping it, and he\u2019s done that all the way to the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship<\/a>, beginning Saturday at Sand Valley Resort in Nekoosa, Wis.<\/p>\n

Slyne earned the spot in his typical nonchalant style \u2014 chipping in to win on a playoff hole<\/a> in the Springfield Country Club regional qualifier.<\/p>\n

Was he nervous, staring at a chip with the final qualifying spot on the line?<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really nerves,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

How did he feel when he had drained the shot to earn a spot in the U.S. Mid-Am, an event that promises the winner a spot in the U.S. Open and the Masters next year?<\/p>\n

\u201cUm,\u201d Slyne said, before a long pause. \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did expand on that thought:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t really set in until I was on the car ride home and I was on the phone with my dad. Yeah, it was \u2026 I didn\u2019t really have any words, I was excited. I\u2019m not a man of emotion but I was excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slyne may not be a man of emotion, but he does boast an effortlessly sweet swing, in part because he grew up on the golf course. As a kid, his mother would drop him off at Southwick Country Club<\/a> in Massachusetts on summer mornings on her way to work. His dad would pick him up later, but not before playing nine holes together.<\/p>\n

He played golf at Granby High, and then started playing in local tournaments after high school. He\u2019s won a lot, capturing local club championships, and on the advice of his father, started competing in tournaments like the Connecticut Amateur.<\/p>\n

\"KevenKeven Slyne, second from right, poses with coworkers from the Granby Public Works Department.<\/p>\n

All the while he\u2019s worked at the Granby Public Works Department<\/a>, and started his own welding business, another one of his passions.<\/p>\n

Now 29, Slyne will be one of 264 golfers from across the country teeing it up at the U.S. Mid-Am, which began in 1981 as a tournament for post-college golfers.<\/p>\n

The event features 36 holes of stroke play Saturday and Sunday, and then takes the top 64 and puts them in a single elimination match-play bracket that begins on Monday and ends with a 36-hole championship match on Thursday.<\/p>\n

When he\u2019s paired with the other talented golfers, there\u2019s a chance they may look at him funny. Slyne said his nonchalant appearance draws some eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time. Every time I play with somebody new they\u2019re like, we\u2019re going to play with you? And I\u2019m like, \u2018Yup,’\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But his feel for the game and his ability to flush bad shots are what he says sets him apart. Heading into the playoff hole at Springfield, he reminded himself that he belonged on this stage. Standing over his chip to qualify, he had a feeling something special could happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a really, really good lie. And I hadn\u2019t chipped it in a couple of rounds and I usually have about one a round, or close to it,\u201d he said. \u201cI just saw a line and the pin was already out, they said do you want it in, and I said \u2018Nope, it\u2019s all set.\u2019 And I stood over it and I just \u2014 it fit my eye perfectly, so I knew it was going in.<\/p>\n

\"Slyne,Slyne, left, hitting a shot in his trademark style– no golf hat, no golf shoes and no gloves.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stood over it and I said, do not decelerate and it\u2019s going in. And I didn\u2019t, and it went in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just like that, he was on to a national tournament with the prize including a spot in the two biggest majors in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Does Slyne believe he has a chance to win in Wisconsin?<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, definitely,\u201d he said. \u201cI think from what I\u2019ve seen and I did a little research on (the course), there\u2019s not many trees. So I\u2019m going to try and use my distance to my advantage. Just try and let it rip as much as I can.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve found myself in the past couple of months playing really good golf. I just play the course, I don\u2019t play \u2014 I\u2019ll shoot 2-, 3-under anywhere. If I have a good day, I\u2019ll shoot 5-, 6-under, if I have a bad day I\u2019ll shoot even.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since he doesn\u2019t have a ton of time to practice, you won\u2019t find him on the range a whole lot. He says he never really loses his driver or irons, so he mostly just chips and putts before rounds.<\/p>\n

But, if he won this event and got a chance to play at the U.S. Open and the Masters next year, he\u2019d start practicing more, right?<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably not,\u201d he said with a chuckle. \u201cI\u2019d just go and when it\u2019s your day, it\u2019s your day, and when it\u2019s not, you gotta just stick with it and try and minimize the damage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Would he at least tie his shoes?<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I tie my shoes, I\u2019m all messed up. All messed up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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