Where Are They Now? Eugene Smith
5/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 21, 2014
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - In the newest installment of the SHU Athletics "Where are they now?" series, we catch up with Eugene Smith, arguably the greatest men's golfer in Seton Hall history.
A 2001 graduate, Smith was inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010. A two-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star, he is one of only two Pirates to win the BIG EAST Individual Championship, a feat he achieved in 2000. That performance lifted Seton Hall to its first team BIG EAST Championship since 1992. As an individual, Smith won six tournaments in his career, most all-time. He currently owns all of Seton Hall's par-72 records including lowest three-round score, lowest two-round score and lowest individual round. Seton Hall has qualified for the NCAA Regionals four times in the program's history... all four years that Smith was on the roster.
After graduation, Smith turned professional and became a regular on the Canadian PGA Tour. In 2009, he was a contestant on The Golf Channel's hit reality television show, "The Big Break, Prince Edward Island".
1. Where do you live now and what are you up to these days?
I currently live in Jupiter, Florida and I work at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach. It's a great place to work. I love the membership and all of my fellow employees. It's only open from October 26th until May 12th. It's strictly a winter club. This summer, I'll be caddying on the Web.com Tour for Alex Rocha. I met him while I was playing on the Canadian Professional Golf Tour.
2. How did your time as a Seton Hall student-athlete prepare you for your future?
My time as a Seton Hall student-athlete prepared me for my future in a number of different ways. I learned how to travel quite efficiently, I learned time management skills, I learned that networking begins even before you graduate, I learned that I could gain a lot of knowledge from my teammates and I learned that even though I was competing against them, the players from other schools were all pretty good guys. I actually still keep in touch with a bunch of them. Being a student-athlete at Seton Hall prepared me quite well for my future. It was a great place to spend four or in my case, four and a half years. Even though I learned a great deal in the classroom at Seton Hall, I think I may have learned even more while I was on road trips with my teammates.
3. What is your favorite memory as a Pirate?
I have a lot of good memories as a Pirate. I think the golf team's entire 1998-1999 season is a favorite memory of mine. All of the guys on the team got along really well and we had a ton of success. It was a great year and I think it may still be the most successful year in the history of the Seton Hall golf program. I also can't forget the team's win at the 2000 BIG EAST Championship, which was contested at Notre Dame. It was a great week and a really nice win due to the fact that the team had gone through a coaching change during the summer of 1999.
4. Do you still keep in touch with any of your former teammates and if so, who?
I still keep in touch with a number of guys that I played on the team with. I haven't seen some of them in a number of years, but thanks to Facebook, I hear from a few of them from time to time. I talk to Drew McMahon quite a lot and spend a good amount of time with him when I'm in New Jersey. I traveled with Scott Hawley on the Canadian Tour and roomed with him for a few years in Florida during our offseason. I play golf with Justin Van Hyning once or twice a year when I'm back in New Jersey. Actually, Drew, Justin and I play golf from time to time and our coach, Clark Holle, usually fills out the foursome. I get Facebook updates from Clark Topping, Ed Shannon, Jonas Forssell, Rob Desevo, Jon Wolfe and Dennis Bosworth on my news feed. They're all great guys and they all seem to be happy and doing quite well.
5. Do you still follow the Pirates and what are your thoughts on the program today?
As far as the golf program goes, I do still check the team's results quite a lot. I know that they're a talented group of guys and they have a lot of potential. Clay White, the head coach, is a wonderful guy and really cares a lot about his players. Allan Small, the assistant coach, is a wonderful player in his own right and a really big asset to the program.
