In 2015 Demi Di Matteo started his golf journey. Â In only 5 short years he has gone from playing in his first HJGT tournament to playing on the golf team at Furman University! Demi is originally from London, United Kingdom and has hopes to one day represent his country, and Europe, in the Ryder Cup. Â With his hard work and passion for the game, he is well on his way to meeting his goal.
Golf has not always been the highlighted sport in Demi’s world. Demi’s father, Roberto Di Matteo, is a former professional soccer player, so soccer naturally was his sport of choice. It wasn’t until he couldn’t play soccer in the summer, that he started focusing on golf.
With a 75.1 scoring average, 14 top three finishes, and a current handicap of 1, he has been one of HJGT’s most consistent players of late. Â When it came time to pick a school, Demi had many D1 options to choose from, and ultimately committed to Furman because he said it was the perfect fit. Â From the classroom, to the practice facility, to the head coach, Matt Davidson, Demi knew this was the school for him.
Demi expressed to us that he loves playing on the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour because he was able to play at multiple different venues and he loves how smoothly the tournaments are ran each weekend. His favorite moment on the HJGT is always the second day of the tournament when he is in contention. Â He believes the pressure that occurs on day 2 simulates what college golf will be like and has helped him prepare for Furman.
Practicing 6 times a week and having a dedicated schedule, Demi hopes to one day play on the European Ryder Cup team and he reminds us all to have dreams and to trust the process. His advice to all junior golfers out there is “to not put too much pressure on yourself playing well, trust the process, learn from your mistakes and set goals.” With that mindset we know that Demi will go very far both on and off the course. Â Demi has been an awesome member of the HJGT family and we are excited to cheer him on at Furman University in the fall and wherever he goes in the future.
