Faces off the field: Kevin Mu, senior golfer, Westlake

All about Kevin

Tell something about you that most people don’t know.

I enjoy playing golf with my dad and I like spending a lot of time with my parents outside. My dad started to play golf after me. My parents were from China and they emigrated in the early 2000s.

You have visited China a few times. What do you remember most?

There's a lot more walking there. Whereas in Texas you're driving everywhere. I like the public transportation. You can get everything you might need within a half-mile or so.

What do you consider to be the world’s greatest invention?

I'd say the invention or concept of the assembly line. Having multiple people doing one mastered task. Like when you're making a car. Someone makes the body frame, someone puts on the wheels, someone paints it. It helps with efficiency of making things.

What has been your favorite vacation?

It was when my (Boy Scouts) friends and I went to the Northern Tier (High Adventure) in Canada when I turned 13. We went canoeing and went through trails between the lakes where you put the canoes on your shoulders. The mornings were calm and you could see the mist on the water and the white mountains in the background.

In the bag: golf has always been there

How did you start to play golf?

When I was about 6, my parents started me in a First Tee program. I'd go to those during the summers and spring break. It was just to start golf for fun. When I was 10, I grew closer and more serious to the game.

What has been your favorite memory playing for Westlake?

I’d probably say it's practice. We sometimes go to Barton Creek (Country Club) and have little games. We pair up with someone and have a contest with them. It's a fun way to enjoy and improve at golf.

Is there pressure to win because you guys seem to win state every year?

Pressure is the same as excitement. It should be used to help you focus more. Pressure can get to us, but you can't defeat someone who works harder.

For you, what is the hardest shot to hit?

Something that might be common is the 50-yard bunker shot. You have a lot of touch and (have to) be very feel-oriented. You have to be open-minded to hit that shot well. As soon as you have any bad thoughts creeping into your mind, that shot is very difficult to hit.

How do you calm yourself down when you’re not playing well?

You have to focus on the process. You have to follow a routine you've made ahead of time. It's like studying for a test. You'll have practice problems for a standardized test like the SAT. After you've done so many problems, you're going to know what's going to come up.

Do you have any golf superstitions or match-day rituals?

I have to have a list of what I need before a tournament to be ready. I've been coached to stay away from superstitions. They just add clutter to your mind. If your mind can be free, you're going to do better than someone who worries about minute details.

More: Faces off the Field: Adam Schantz, Lake Travis goalkeeper

Dream dinner

If you could have dinner with four people in the history of the world, who would they be?

I’d go with Mikhail Gorbachev, Confucius, Leonardo da Vinci and Stephen Hawking.

What do you think Gorbachev and Confucius would talk about?

They're both political people. Confucius was a real traditional man that had a hierarchical system and Gorbachev started in a very hierarchical system. I would like to see how they would work things out. What would Gorbachev bring up and what would Confucius say in rebuttal?

— Rick Cantu

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Meet Kevin Mu, senior golfer from Westlake